REVIEW: ‘DCeased: A Good Day to Die,’ Issue #1

Writer Tom Taylor’s DCEASED world has been taking over comic conversations and sales since it dropped in May. The five-issue horror event has brought death to every corner of the DC Comics universe. Killing off people like Batman and even Darkseid, Taylor has used blood, violence, and horror to tell the story of the end of the world where heroes and humans become infected by the anti-life virus, turning them into raging shells of their former selves, with one goal: spread the virus. Now, it’s time for DCEASED: A Good Day To Die #1, from Taylor with pencils by Laura Braga and Darick Robertson, with inks by Richard Friend, Trevor Scott, and Robertson, and colors by Rain Beredor, and letters by Saida Temofonte.

While the most well-known of the Justice League, Superman, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman, battle the worldwide infection in the pages of DCEASED, DCEASED: A Good Day To Die #1 is a one-shot that tells us what is happening  separate group of heroes work to stop the impending apocalypse. For this issue, the main group sees Mr. Terrific assembles a motley group of surviving heroes including Mister Miracle, Big Barda, John Constantine, Blue Beetle and Booster Gold as they attempt to fight back against the tide of death.

DCEASED: A Good Day To Die #1 is much faster paced than the series that it is an offshoot for. Now, while this may seem like a detriment, it really isn’t. One of the reasons for this is that Taylor the main DCEASED story to not only shock readers with deaths, but to also establish the world ending event. In this one-shot, we already know the devastating destruction that this social media spreading virus is capable of and as such are thrust directly into action. As the title page says: “God is dead.”

The choice to introduce this story with Big Barda and Mister Miracle was a strong choice. Their costumes stand against the blood of the zombie horde and their personalities work to cut the horror of DCEASED: A Good Day To Die #1. In addition, the choice to include Booster Gold and Blue Beetle, brought together by Mr. Terrific is also a good one. When we thrust some of our more humorous characters – with Booster Gold and Blue Beetle – we get to see the scale of the fear in the universe, and the scale of desperation.

Visually, the art in DCEASED: A Good Day To Die #1 is better than that in the DCEASED series. it’s sharp and distinct from the main title, allowing it to stand on it’s own. The horror art, between the gore and the undead is perfection and the colors from Beredor strike a balance of vibrancy and the blood doesn’t overwhelm the panels. With great art, DCEASED: A Good Day To Die #1 does lack the emotional punch that DCEASED has offered since the first issue.

While there a couple of moments meant to illicit saddness, the weight doesn’t carry from one to another. Instead, by the time the next moment happens, you’ve forgotten about the last. The emotion doesn’t sit with you like Alfred killing his son or the other moments that Taylor pulled off. Instead, there is more emphasis on shock, which is well delivered, even without staying power.

Overall, DCEASED: A Good Day To Die #1 is a good tie-in issue. It opens up the world beyond one group of heroes and offers up beautiful art. That being said, there isn’t an emotional core to the book which leaves me questioning why I didn’t feel more. That being said, if you’re currently reading DCEASED, this is a must read and if you’re new to the story, this is a great way to jump in before the other series wraps.

DCEASED: A Good Day To Die #1 is available now on ComiXology and wherever comics are sold.