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Warning : coddler for Dark Crisis # 2 are onwards
TheDark Crisisevent is shaking up the status quo inDC Comics , promising lasting change as the omniverse ’s good Hero of Alexandria team up to fight The Great Darkness . As the event ’s name might suggest , Dark Crisisis the in vogue in DC’sfamed " Crisis " issue that all began with 1985 ’s epic crossover , Crisis on Infinite Earthsby Marv Wolfman and George Pérez . It is no surprise then thatDark Crisisis an event thematically concerned with legacy , and while its theme are a beautiful tribute to the history of DC Comics , the events of the limited serial thus far have unwittingly corroborate the aim of its chief villain .
Dark Crisisis happen at a dire time in DC Comics , as the Justice League , includingBatman , Wonder Woman , and Superman , were all killed . In the meanwhile , bequest heroes and former brother such as Nightwing , Jon Kent ’s Superman , and now Kyle Rayner ’s Green Lantern have had to step up to struggle a myriad of baddie occupy advantage of the chaos in a Justice League - less world . hang above them all is the impeding threat posed by an entity known as the Great Darkness , an omniversal threat that seek an end to all founding .
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On another level , The Great Darkness is a more complicated baddie than fan might consider , because if it were to truly " deliver the goods , " it would necessitate the end of DC publication comedian , at least with this current cast of characters . As longtime comic lover have it off , no one unfeignedly die in superhero cartoon strip , unlessthey’re Spider - Man ’s Uncle Ben , and this is part achieved by the fact that character are stay fresh alive by discourse created by fans and creators . A fictitious character can only truly " give out " if no one talks about them any longer . As such , The Great Darkness hinges upon the death of conversation and the death of elaboration , which makesDark Crisis ' focal point on bequest so prickly .
Thus far , Dark Crisishas been readable about the grandness that legacy plays in its story , set it in opposition to The Great Darkness . This reflects the singularity of superhero cartoon strip , which is itself a bequest form , telling stories across decade with the help of chiliad of writers , artists , and other Jehovah . And while this is for certain a beautiful idea , made even more semisweet with the late pass oficonic Divine like Neal Adamsand George Pérez , Dark Crisisovercommits itself to its legacy theme , retreading territory sports fan already remember know the first time around . This was especially apparent inDark Crisis#2 from Joshua Williamson and Daniel Sampere , which featured a brawl between Nightwing and Deathstroke in front of Titans Tower , whileJon Kent ’s Superman fight Cyborg Superman . Because of this , it seems that the Great Darkness has already arrived on DC ’s Earth Prime , asDark Crisisdoesn’t sense like anewcreation , so much as a summation of issue that have already taken place in DC Comics .
Dark Crisis Lacks The Stakes Of Its Predecessors.
It has been clear since the announcement that the Justice League would die in Joshua Williamson and Rafa Sandoval’sJustice League#75 thatDark Crisiswas shaping up to be a meta - commentary on death in the DC Universe , but its revisitations of classic consequence in DC history miss a sense of bite . The Justice League dying in their 75th issue is a reference to Superman ’s last inSuperman#75 by Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding , an event that shook the macrocosm of strip 30 age ago . This is later reverberate inDark Crisis#2 with Jon Kent fighting Cyborg Superman , who fan remember from theReign of the Supermencrossoverthat took place in the wake of Clark ’s death .
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But while Cyborg Superman ’s 1993 fight with Conner Kent ’s Superboy in Karl Kesel , Tom Grummett , and Doug Hazlewood’sThe Adventures of Superman#503 remains belly - churning to read , decades after the case ended , its 2022 parallel feel toothless because of its own ego - knowingness . As Jon and Hank Henshaw ’s cyborg business deal punches , the action is framed around the spectacle of them appearing in the same venire , rather than build a combat sequence that holds lecturer in suspense . Cyborg Superman quickly remind Jon Kent that he is n’t his father , a fact already abundantly clear . WhileDark Crisisshouldn’t be beholden to using the same storytelling techniques of its predecessors , simply reminding reader thatSuperman is once again dead(as a bash between Cyborg Superman and a former Superboy can substantiate ) does n’t give its new Superman any fresh cloth to work with .
Dark Crisis Retreads Familiar Territory.
Similarly , Nightwing ’s scrap against Deathstrokefeels empty . Dick Grayson once again face down the Teen Titans ' nemesis , the fight briskly resolving in four pages . Featuring such a high visibility feud inDark Crisisis bewildering , because it ’s not one sports fan are needing a reminder of . Deathstroke has repeatedly contend the Titans and Nightwing for tenner , and anchoring this fresh scrap on this canonical spectacle does n’t advance fans ' understandings of those previous fights to begin with .
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This is whyDark Crisishas struggle to have a sense of urgency to it as an event . Fans have already read combat involve Cyborg Superman and Deathstroke in the past times , why do they want to see much humble versions of those fights when there ’s a larger cosmic job hanging over them ? While the issue micturate it clean that Deathstroke is need with Pariah , the figure working intandem with the Great Darkness , why must readers be remind of facts and result that were much more engaging the first time they were experienced ?
Ultimately , Dark Crisisis still in its nascent stagesas an case , with the remaining five publication leaving muckle of room for development on its root word and vanity . fan will have to waitress for the rest of the special serial to add up out before a verdict can be made about its story . With numerous spinoffs set to release in the come months , Dark Crisishas pot of chance to deliver on its transformative hope .
That said , Dark Crisishas gotten off to a disturbing get-go because of its over - trust on viewing superhero comedian as a legacy project . While that is sure accurate , it lacks a crucial ingredient to what makes superhero comics potential in the first position : creative thinking . What has driven comics ' old characters into the twenty - first century is a sense of elaboration and imagination , with new teams of Divine building off of what follow before , often precede basal alteration . DC Comics’Dark Crisisfails to see that bequest only works if it leaves change in its aftermath , and in this way , it plays into the accurate objective of its basal villain , the Great Darkness .
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Dark Crisis#2is available now from DC Comics .
