​The clock finally ticks closer one step to midnight after a three-month hiatus. Geoff Johns, Gary Frank, and Brad Anderson deliver an absolutely explosive issue that will leave fans jaws lying on the floor. As the series winds towards its conclusion, tensions rise as the showdown between the DC Universe and Doctor Manhattan begins.

With the previous issue leaving Firestorm seemingly detonated in Moscow, killing many and leaving Batman and Superman out of commission. With the rest of the heroes from Earth following an energy reading leading to Mars, Lex comes to Lois and a hospitalized Clark with questions going all the way back to Johns’ DC Universe Rebirth #1. Making their way through the planet, the heroes come face to face with Doctor Manhattan. Completely unprepared for what awaited them, Manhattan proceeds to subdue the entirety of earth Heroes, leaving room for the planet’s villains to make their move.

Gary Frank delivers his best issue to the title thus far. Displaying a diverse wide array of beloved DC heroes, both niche and widely known, and adding to the grander scale towards this crisis as a whole. His character work continues to stand as his crowning achievement, bringing the entirety of the universe onto the page, and leaving his make on each character. The fight sequence between this DCU and Manhattan will go down in DC comics history as one of the most one-sided fights of all time. Brad Anderson wraps the book together in stunning color, bringing the characters flying off the panels as Manhattan lays waste to each one.

This issue was a long time in the making, Geoff Johns held no bars for showing off how overwhelmingly powerful Doctor Manhattan indeed is. At the surface level, the series can be panned as a mere Alan Moore clone, but Johns uses both the pre-established DC Universe and Watchmen Universe to deliver a unique and exciting bridge between the two. In typical Geoff Johns fashion, using elements from the past and forging them into the future to bring something truly special to the pages.

With three issues remaining, Johns has indeed ratcheted up the stakes as the series makes its way ever so carefully near its close. The truth about why Manhattan meddled with the DC Universe is finally set to be revealed within the next chapter, leaving fans to salivate for the next two months after such a huge payoff.

Grade: A+