Art by: Jorge Fornés
Colors by: Dave Stewart
Letters by: Clayton Cowles
Cover art by: Jorge Fornés
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: December 13, 2022
Danger Street #1 follows a small army of C-List and D-List DC characters as they try to improve their lives and end up making a mess. A bloody mess.
Is It Good?
Is Danger Street #1 good? I don't know because I'm not sure I understand the story. In quintessential Tom King fashion, a collection of DC characters deconstructed and re-framed into Average Joes intersect at low points in their lives with deadly consequences. If there's a plot, the first issue doesn't make it plain. The dialog is snappy, cynical, and sometimes amusing, and the events certainly aren't predictable.
Also, in Tom King fashion, this issue won't leave you with good feelings or anticipation. Think of it is a fascinating car wreck where you're left wondering who will live or die.
The comic breaks down into three separate threads. First, Jack Ryder aka Creeper, snags an interview as a talk show host on a fledgling cable network run by four boys. Second, those identical four boys, from an earlier time period (maybe?) go joyriding in the desert on an ATV when one of the boys meets a deadly end. Third, Metamorpho, Warrior, and Starman execute a harebrained scheme to use the Helm of Fate to summon Darkseid as a demonstration of their capability for acceptance into the Justice League.
Threads two and three intersect for the boy's death. The first thread may or may not be in the future and doesn't appear to be connected to the other two... yet.
Is it entertaining? Not exactly. 'Weird' would be a better word for it. It's unique, but fun or entertainment doesn't factor into this reading experience. However, a certain amount of predictability could be categorized as formulaic in Tom King's writing style.
Deconstructed heroes who don't act or speak like their canonical selves? Check
One or more deaths involving children? Check
A prevalent atmosphere of hopelessness and misery? Check
A vague sense the story is "homaging" a classic film or novel (In this case, Todd killing the Dirt Bike Kid in S5 of Breaking Bad)? Check
The artwork by Fornés and Stewart is fine. Most of the issue involves characters sitting or standing around and talking, so there's not much opportunity to flex artistic muscle. In short, the art team gets the job done, but there are no wow moments.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Bits and Pieces
Danger Street #1 kicks off an odd, slightly surreal drama about a collection of characters who intersect through opportunity and tragedy. The artwork is acceptable, and the plot (such as it is) is unpredictable, but the overall reading experience is mired in drab characters burdened by angst and misery.
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