Justice League: Road To Dark Crisis #1
The DC Universe deals with the aftermath of the death of the Justice League in Justice League: Road To Dark Crisis #1, by writers Josh Williamson, Jeremy Adams, Chuck Brown, Philip Kennedy Johnson, and Stephanie Phillips, artists Dan Jurgens, Rosi Kampe, Fico Ossio, Leila Del Luca, and Clayton Henry, inker Norm Rapmund, colorists HI-FI, Matt Herms, Sebastian Cheng, Jordie Bellaire, and Marcelo Maiolo, and letterer Josh Reed. DC does event set-up unlike anyone else, and this comic is a great example of why.
This issue contains five stories, with the first three dealing with Nightwing and Superman, Flash and Kid Flash, and Hal Jordan and Jackson Hyde dealing with the death of the League in their own ways, each one a part of the legacy of the team. The fourth story gives readers a glimpse of why Pariah did what he did, and the final deals with Nocturne battling Batgirl and getting an offer she can’t refuse from the Secret Society.
DC and Marvel do events very differently. DC events are often better than their Marvel competition because of the setup. Dark Crisis hasn’t had the same amount of set-up as other recent DC events, with it all basically set up by Justice League #75. This issue is the first bit of set-up for the event, and it’s more of an aftermath kind of thing than anything else.
The first three stories all tread the same ground, seeing the heroes deal with the deaths of their friends. All three are good in different ways, as each set of heroes deals with the events of Justice League #75. The fourth gives readers background on how Pariah came back and why he’s switched sides. The last is a fun little villain-centric ditty that sets up the return of the Secret Society of Supervillains.
The art is all pretty good. Jurgens and Rapmund’s art feels a little old-fashioned, which fits them but does a good job of getting things across. Kampe’s art has its strengths, but Wally looks a little young. Ossio’s art is probably the best looking of the bunch, with del Luca and Henry’s each just a little under it.
Justice League: Road To Dark Crisis #1 is a great aftermath issue and begins the set-up for Dark Crisis. There will be several more, and this one does a great job of setting some story beats up. The writing and art are all pretty great, and this one is a must-read for anyone planning on buying Dark Crisis.