This review contains some spoilers regarding the current runs of Batman, Superman, and The Justice League and their most recent issues.
Written By: Scott Snyder, Gene Luen Yang, and Geoff Johns
Art By: Greg Capullo, John Romita Jr., and Jason Fabok
Publisher: DC Comics
DC gives their fans an absolute powerhouse of a Free Comic Book Day issue by giving us a look into the future of their DC titles. Considering most major plot points have just recently come out in their respective runs, DC couldn’t have timed this any better. That being said, the issue is full of huge spoilers so it’s suggested to catch up to the current runs of each title to avoid heavy spoilers.
Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo give us a tease into the future of Gotham by giving us a glimpse into the future of Batman. If you’ve been reading the current run then you’ll know that Gotham has potentially lost their caped crusader and that the city is somewhat fearful of what may happen without someone standing by. Snyder teases a potential new Batman just enough to get you interested without digging into details and the future of the series looks like it will be just as great as what we’ve seen (and even come to expect). Capullo’s art continues to be stellar and we’re treated to an absolutely gorgeous two page spread that demands to made into a print and framed on a wall.
DC wastes no time in jumping straight into their tease for the Superman and it makes it feel like one gigantic DC universe, which is a good thing. If you’re worried about Gene Luen Yang taking over the title, have no fear. Yang seems right at home writing Superman and the current events give him a great place to cement his place in Superman history. Yang’s Clark Kent is understandably angry, frustrated, and somewhat lost as he struggles with his loss of powers and Lois Lane’s exposure of his identity and the writing doesn’t skimp on giving us a Superman that seems broken. John Romita Jr.’s art looks great as well and there’s some interesting stylistic choices involving the idea of how prevalent social media is when it comes to news.
Rounding out the issue is a look into the much hyped Darkseid War for Justice League and it’s fantastic. We get some insight into Darkseid’s daughter, the prophecy that her birth marks the destruction of the world as we know it, and also the idea that Wonder Woman will be instrumental in the fight against evil. Geoff Johns manages to make the few pages we get a lengthy and detailed sort of legend that is perfect for the preview and demonstrates just how big this event will be. There’s enough clues to future events that it creates some great hype while staying mysterious enough to not outright ruin the future of the series. Jason Fabok gives us probably the best art in the issue and not a single panel was wasted. We get blood, gore, panels of violence, scenes of complete destruction, and the reveal of Darkseid’s daughter. The full reveal of her gives us some clues as to what powers she may hold and the future of this series looks to be both grim and action packed.
This is one of the best issues you’ll pick up during this year’s Free Comic Book Day event and issues are sure to go quickly considering the content that DC has chosen to give us. I couldn’t be more excited about the future of DC as it looks to be dark, violent, and even more soul-crushing than it already has been.
Free Comic Book Day takes place Saturday May 2nd at participating stores. For more information about Free Comic Book Day and a list of stores participating in events, go to FreeComicBookDay.com.
