With Doomsday in Hell, what is the worst that could happen? Check here, in a special one-shot!
Written by Dan WattersCover by Bjorn Barends
Illustrated by Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, and Max Raynor
Colored by Adriano Lucas and Andrew Dalhouse
Lettered by Dave SharpeDOOMSDAY RULES…IN HELL!
It is a creature beyond reason–and the only force in the universe strong enough to kill Superman. It’s Doomsday, the living embodiment of death, destruction, and evolution!
In the wake of Dark Crisis and Lazarus Planet, King Doomsday now sits on a throne of skulls across a river of blood, holding court over the demons that swarm in the depths of Hell…and he may have just found a way back to the land of the living. It’s now up to Supergirl and Martian Manhunter to drive the beast back and see that he never again returns to our earthly plane–even if they must die to do it!
Plus: the return of Bloodwynd, the debut of the Doomhounds, and a clue to the next big Superman event!
Ever since his first appearance a little over thirty years ago in 1992, the theoretically nigh unstoppable force that is Doomsday has been a horror to the reckoning of Superman and his associated characters, especially Kryptonians. He has required many exceedingly powerful heroes to take him down ever since his famous entrance in ‘The Death of Superman,’ and terrified the population of Earth each time this feral creature has emerged. As such, it is less a surprise that he has a focus issue as a special in “Action Comics Presents: Doomsday Special” #1, and more surprising it has taken this long. Aside from continuing the story of Doomsday, this one-shot also serves as a two-pronged sequel to one of the stories from “Lazarus Planet: Once We Were Gods” #1. As such, the eponymous character and his location are but one element of “Action Comics Presents: Doomsday Special” #1, so how effectively does the combined effort of one writer and two separate teams on artwork make this story and its backup tale work?
Dan Watters has had some experience writing stories in Hell for DC Comics, along with other religious topics. While the side of Heaven has been prominent in his work on the “Sword of Azrael” limited series, it is his writing on his eighteen-issue run for “Lucifer” that is of particular note here. While Doomsday is – quite literally – a different beast entirely from the Morningstar, the way that Watters deals with Hell is extremely fascinating. As written, it is a place built on belief, and when subjected to someone who comes back stronger from every torture, belief of other demons or mortal sinners would naturally increase that strength and potentially cause far more problems for the universe beyond. Furthermore, the sinners are so beaten down that they are unrecognizable and indistinguishable from one another, enhancing the horror of such a place.
As addressed by Watters, both the Martian Manhunter and Supergirl have their own impressions of religion, with the Martian J’onn J’onzz being a bit more spiritual than the more defined hard-line scientific approach in Kara Zor-El. As a result, both interact with the idea of Hell and demons differently, with even Supergirl letting her lack of religious upbringing fall to the wayside when put to definite proof of Hell’s existence. Both of them are a little bit right and a little bit wrong, from relying on hope in a hopeless place to the aforementioned atheism, but these beliefs do not put them at odds, only giving different perspectives on the same side. The protagonist of the backup story is also intriguing, but unlike the others, he seems to more accurately understand how Hell functions, using the rules and layers set forth by Dante Alighieri’s Inferno.
As an antagonist, Watters seems well aware of the limitations of Doomsday. As a feral entity, it is unlikely that anyone could get much dialogue (if any) out of him, so instead he is used as a blunt instrument, a force of nature that can be fought. Instead, the dialogue and narration on the ostensibly antagonistic side is provided by another, highly amusing individual, one who knows the workings of Hell very well indeed. Doomsday is shown as a primary antagonist for sure, but one that is a purely physical threat only made important by the reactions of those around him.
Continued belowEddy Barrows and Eber Ferreira work together on the illustration for the main story ‘Doomsday in Hell,’ though it is hard to tell who is responsible for which panels. However, the overall effect is very well done. The two have worked together before in “Batman: Urban Legends,” and their attention to detail is definitely at the fore. The harshness and roughness of the despair in Hell comes out quite well, especially when contrasted against the bright, hopeful expressions on those in the light of the Earth day. This detail makes the faceless masses of Hell that much more horrifying and impersonal, giving an impression of no longer mattering as much as of a loss of identity.
Adriano Lucas supplies the colors of this primary tale, and his work definitely shows the necessary mood. Deep, dark shadows and gruesome, bloody scenery make the most of the infernal realm, especially when contrasted against the brighter, hopeful colors of the world above. Doomsday being a monster even in Hell would be distressing on its own, but these colors enhance his potential to scare readers as much as the environment and its denizens make Hell itself something to be feared on its own.
Returning from the ‘Lazarus Planet’ story this one-shot comes out of, Max Raynor’s illustrations are of a very different tone than the main story. The more defined lines and less use of brutal gore, along with other light sources such as lightning, make for a more traditional superhero fare. As such, it feels nicer and more hopeful, or at least leaving open the possibility to aspire toward something more.
Andrew Dalhouse’s colors support this approach, as while there is still heavy use of red, the shadows are nowhere near as deep, the light far more apparent, especially with other prominent colors such as white or green (more than with just Martian Manhunter against the dreary backdrops, at least). Rather than drag readers down, Dalhouse props them up and seems to push them forward toward the end of this short introduction to a new hero.
Final Verdict: 7.5– Krypton meets the infernal realms in this intriguing look at things to come.
