Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Cosmic Spider-Man card details

    [EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW] The Spider-Man Set Gets A 5-Color Legendary Spider

    09/02/2025
    Lee Corso from College Football GameDay in EA Sports games

    EA Sports Always Understood Lee Corso’s Legacy

    09/01/2025
    Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 2 But Why Tho 10

    Spider-Man Is Coming To Magic And It’s Just Like The Comics

    08/29/2025
    Star Wars Visions Volume 3 Black

    ‘Black’ Sets The Tone For A Bold New Mixtape In ‘Star Wars Visions: Volume 3’

    08/28/2025
    Olivia Colman in The Roses

    ‘The Roses’ Is A Reimagining, Not A Remake, And That’s Why It Works So Well

    08/27/2025
  • Indie Games
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Apple TV+
But Why Tho?
Home » DC Comics » REVIEW: ‘DCEASED,’ Issue #3 – Red Sea

REVIEW: ‘DCEASED,’ Issue #3 – Red Sea

Kate SánchezBy Kate Sánchez07/03/20194 Mins ReadUpdated:08/06/2021
DCEASED 3 But Why Tho
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

DCEASED #3

DCEASED #3, from writer Tom Taylor, with Trevor Hairsine as penciler, Stefano Gaudiano as inker, colors by Rain Beredo, and letters from Saida Temofonte continues the excellent infection horror that has been unraveling in the last two issues. Published by DC Comics, DCEASED has been a roller coaster ride of death, destruction, and heartache.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Last issue, Taylor killed Hal Jordan and Batman. While Hal’s death was a bummer, it had levity since Black Canary was chosen as the next Lantern. On the other hand, issue two ended with Batman desperately trying to cure the virus or at least find out what it is, all while reducing it’s spread using the suit of one of the most tragic villains, Mr. Freeze. But the inevitable happened, Damian had to hear his father die, and Alfred had to kill his Batman, his son.

This issue picks up with that sledgehammer still solidly lodged in your heart as we see Alfred solemnly over his batchildren, mourning them, but also feeling guilty of being unable to protect them. Taylor has captured the father figure that Alfred is in two issues and has delivered blows to the heart with each one. I like Batman, but I don’t love Batman. That said, I have teared up more for him, Alfred, and Damien in this one issue than I have in reading any of his other emotional arcs.

The emotion in death is delivered through the narrator’s bleak words, retelling the tragedy, and through the art from Hairsine, Gaudiano, and Beredo. The solemn and minimalist expression on Afred’s face as he stands over the bodies of his boys, with the words “We didn’t have time. We didn’t have time to process. Too many died too quickly. We didn’t have time to grieve,” expertly builds emotional weight while utilizing an understanding of how to build tension.

Beyond that, the bodies of heroes and villains keep dropping and rising as crazed anti-living beings. While not every death of a hero is given weight like Batman’s, the interactions between the living and those affected by the anti-life virus are well crafted. Specifically these include Harley Quinn’s interactions with a team of heroes and of course the looming stand against the Joker, which we were hinted at last issue when we were shown his scratched face.

Just as the issue opens, it closes. Taking the strongest among heroes and emotionally gutting him on the page. There is a true art that goes into writing and showing the decisions made in post-apocalyptic settings – especially when the people you know and love are now your enemies. Taylor demonstrates this knowledge of the infection subgenre as he narrates the devolving situation and the need to forget that the threats were once the ones we hold close.

This is a trope that can either feel repetitive when it has been done before, or it can craft an emotional bond between you and the character. Given that we are just as attached to the characters on the page as they are to each other, it helps Taylor’s narration of the situation hit and hit hard. This is especially true for Superman’s scenes in DCEASED #3. These is even more power when this idea of forgetting that the enemies were once human is attributed to heroes, those who we never want to feel that way.

We want our heroes to maintain their humanity by seeing it in others, by respecting it, even when they are someone like the Joker. Now, Taylor has put them in a situation where they have to cut that line of empathy and move through the ocean of raging bodies with precision, caution, and ruthlessness in order to survive. They have to dissociate, and that hurts to see our heroes do all on its own.

In addition to beautiful and devastating writing, the art succeeds where most gore-based horror comics and even movies fail. There is more blood this issue than we’ve seen the past two. That being said, it never feels muddied or gratuitous. Beredo’s red is vibrant without being neon and has depth without turning into a sea of copper. It adds power to the scenes instead of being added just for shock. To put it simply DCEASED #3 gets hyperviolence right.

With issue number three down, DCEASED remains one of my favorite comics out right now. It is horrific, it is beautiful, and it is devastating. DCEASED #3 is a story that moves beyond shock and awe and focuses on breaking your heart.

DCEASED #3 is available wherever comics are sold now.

DCEASED #3
5

TL;DR

With issue number three down, DCEASED remains one of my favorite comics out right now. It is horrific, it is beautiful, and it is devastating. DCEASED #3 is a story that moves beyond shock and awe and focuses on breaking your heart.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘Space Bandits,’ Issue #1 (of 5)
Next Article REVIEW: ‘Lois Lane,’ Issue #1 – “Enemy of the People” Part 1
Kate Sánchez
  • Website
  • X (Twitter)
  • Instagram

Kate Sánchez is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of But Why Tho? A Geek Community. There, she coordinates film, television, anime, and manga coverage. Kate is also a freelance journalist writing features on video games, anime, and film. Her focus as a critic is championing animation and international films and television series for inclusion in awards cycles. Find her on Bluesky @ohmymithrandir.bsky.social

Related Posts

Cover of Absolute Green Lantern Issue 6

REVIEW: ‘Absolute Green Lantern’ Issue 6

09/03/2025
Cover of Absolute Superman Issue 11 that features an image of Brainiac

REVIEW: ‘Absolute Superman’ Issue 11

09/03/2025
Absolute Wonder Woman Issue 11

REVIEW: ‘Absolute Wonder Woman’ Issue 11

08/27/2025
Justice League Unlimited Issue 10

REVIEW: ‘Justice League Unlimited’ Issue 10

08/27/2025
Superman Issue 29

REVIEW: ‘Superman’ Issue 29

08/27/2025
Absolute Martian Manhunter Issue 6

REVIEW: ‘Absolute Martian Manhunter’ Issue 6

08/27/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Cosmic Spider-Man card details Features

[EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW] The Spider-Man Set Gets A 5-Color Legendary Spider

By Kate Sánchez09/02/2025Updated:09/02/2025

An exclusive look at a new 5-Color Spider entering Magic: The Gathering’s Spider-Man set, and Cosmic Spider-Man is going to be a tough one to take on.

Hololive EN at Radio City Music Hall Events

Hololive EN At Radio City Music Hall Was A Pure Expression Of Fandom

By Adrian Ruiz08/31/2025Updated:09/03/2025

Hololive EN turned Radio City in New York City into the pure expression of fandom: chants, penlights, and community in perfect sync.

Karl Anthony Towns in NBA 2k26 But Why Tho
8.5
PS5

REVIEW: ‘NBA 2K26’ Brings Basketball To Life

By Kyle Foley09/03/2025

NBA 2K26 combines improved visuals with some important tweaks to keep the series feeling fresh in the latest yearly release.

Cronos: The New Dawn Nest
8.0
PC

REVIEW: ‘Cronos: The New Dawn’ Does Post-Apocalyptic Psychological Horror Right

By Mick Abrahamson09/03/2025Updated:09/03/2025

While not particularly sacry, Cronos: The New Dawn is a lot of fun as a survival horror that puts you in the futuristic armor of the Traveler.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here