REVIEW: ‘One World Under Doom’ Issue 7

One World Under Doom Issue 7 is published by Marvel Comics and written by Ryan North, art by R.B. Silva, colors by David Curiel, and letters by Travis Lanham.

The truth about Doom’s power has been revealed, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to go down without an enormous fight.

The end of the previous issue created the impression that Doom’s reform was about to come to an end. But not quite yet. He’s not willing to give it up, and many in the world don’t want him to. He’s just more forceful now. There are signs of resistance, but they fold as quickly as they begin. Again, there are some satirical elements that use real-life political events but take them to extremes. You would think political figures violently refusing to step down would only exist in comic books, but alas.

One World Under Doom Issue 7 sees the heroes trying to take Doom down again, sparking an extreme battle once again. It seems even more relentless than before, combining the forces of many teams to throw at Doom. The drama and the spectacle are high, yet the pacing is calm and calculated. This plays into Doom’s hands, as it lets him react to the onslaught.

Instead of increasing in scale, Ryan North narrows down the opponents in the final pages, boiling it down to just one man challenging Victor for the fate of the world. The heroes change everything that is known about themselves to try and get the upper hand, leading to a cacophonous battle that ends with a haunting and devastating ending.

The perspective of One World Under Doom Issue 7 shifts repeatedly. At first, the structure jumps rapidly, creating a sense of the reaction to the revelation in Latveria, before showing the force gathered to try to dethrone the dictator. Perhaps the most frustrating part of this event has been the shuffling of characters. Doom has been the main character, with the heroes playing a secondary role. Those opposing him can be pretty random, favorites of North, and not quite full teams. The resistance has never felt big enough or dramatic enough.

The first flurries of violence are viewed by Valeria Richards, who knows Doom better than anyone. He is her godfather, a man who had looked after and tested her with respect. The confidence of the heroes is matched and contrasted brilliantly by Valeria and Doom, with different emotions. Valeria has a level of dread, whilst Doom is just calm and impossibly confident.

Then the narration switches to Doom, just as one of the leaders of the hero alliance plays their trump card. It changed the narrative and the momentum of the battle. Doom never seems afraid, always determined. Everyone is beneath him. He analyses the situation, able to see the whole situation. And having him narrate the battle belittles the heroes, making them smaller and pathetic, making their chances of success even tinier.

The art is glorious. The real world takes a severe back step as the comic book elements take priority. The human interviews are quickly replaced by a selection of superheroes and villains. Many of the costumes look fantastic, straight out of their individual series, although Iron Man looks pretty odd. The scars from previous encounters with Doom are also present, with most of Reed’s face covered in bandages.

The battle is sprawling and magnificently chaotic. The inclusion of Cyclops’ X-Men team and other mutants is exciting, even if there aren’t prolonged fights featuring them. They are part of a swarm, with Silva preferring big group shots to show just how big an army you need even to consider facing Doom.

The end of the battle purposefully mirrors Doom’s battle with Dormammu, and the spectacle is incredible to see. It becomes personal and physical, challenging stereotypes and the status quo. And the Doom’s dinosaur steed will always be the most awesome thing in the issues.

The colors are again vibrant and dazzling. In the first pages of the all-out action, there’s so much red and green as the two forces clash. But in the final act, the two figures are against a completely white background. With events getting more serious and the blows getting more fatal, the focus needed to be on the foreground. The lettering is fascinating because there isn’t much spoken language in the fight. The narration is still there, framing the sides of the panels, and there’s fantastic SFX too. But it’s great to see the action do the talking.

One World Under Doom Issue 7 is a terrific battle against the world’s greatest villain. Ryan North has always written an incredible Doctor Doom. He is terrifying, often stoic and calm, even when unleashing pain and in the middle of a battle. The sense of gravitas and majesty that radiates from the world conqueror is unbelievable.

This event has always been around him, and the writing and art for him have never faltered. He is both ridiculous and demands respect. But the inconsistency of his enemies, popping in and out and never really feeling like a core group of characters, had been irksome and detrimental. However, the level of intensity in these latter issues has really given it some necessary grit, evident in One World Under Doom Issue 7. 

One World Under Doom Issue 7 is available where comics are sold.