Teamwork makes the dream work. See, it must be true because it rhymes. Seriously though, comic books would be nowhere near as fun without different and unique characters coming together. Think about all the teams we’ve grown to know and love. The Avengers. Justice League. X-Men. Even taking it further than that, sometimes you just want to see a great team-up for a brief arc or one-off issue. That’s why we have comics like “The Brave and the Bold” or “Marvel Team-Up”. In “DCeased: A Good Day to Die” #1, heroes come together to try and stop the zombie apocalypse. How well does this latest team-up stack up? Read on to find out.
Written by Tom Taylor
Illustrated by Laura Braga & Darick Robertson
Lettered by Saida Temofonte
Colored by Rainier Beredo
While the mainstays of the Justice League-Superman, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman-battle the worldwide infection in the pages of DCEASED, a group of other heroes work to stop the impending apocalypse-no matter who they have to kill!
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. Can this ragtag group save the world where the Justice League has thus far failed?
This issue follows Mr. Terrific, Michael Holt trying to put an end to the virus that’s ravaging the world. An attempt to study it’s Apokoliptan origins leads him to Mister Miracle and Big Barda. Trying to circumvent the virus through magic leads to John Constantine and Booster Gold and Blue Beetle are around for the final resort, time travel.
I do appreciate the contrast this issue provides to the main “DCeased” mini-series. Over there, it’s pure pandemonium. All the surviving heroes are, more or less, just trying to roll with the punches. In all fairness, they’re getting hit with a lot all at once. Here, Mr. Terrific takes a logical approach to figuring out the problem. He studies the infected, tries to understand the origin and methodically starts with the most practical, possible solution and works his way down. “DCeased” shows the loss of loved ones and the emotional toll it’s taking on the heroes. This team is completely on-mission with laser focus.
“A Good Day to Die” might have been stronger if there was more space to show Mr. Terrific’s process in-depth. Logical as it is, it does feel a bit rushed. Likewise, I would have loved if there was more space to explore the team. While an interesting mix of characters has been gathered here, this isn’t the best showcase for all of them.
Mister Miracle and Big Barda are possibly the most superfluous additions to the group. Their contribution is the over the top ‘God is dead’ opener and a quick nod to Tom King and Mitch Gerads’s critically acclaimed mini-series. Booster Gold and Ted Kord are just a bit better. Ted transports everyone in the Bug (Which now raises the question, why didn’t they just travel instantaneously by boom tube?) while Booster provides the time machine. All four don’t really stand out until the very end when they meet their respective deaths.
It made me think of The Walking Dead actually. I haven’t watched the show in a while but some characters don’t really shine or get much development until it’s time to bite the dust. This was a super-condensed version of that. I appreciated Mr. Terrific more, though I’ll acknowledge that’s partially due to personal bias. While in some moments he’s the man with the plan, in other’s Michael Holt is simply there for exposition. Again, I wish there was more space for the characters to breathe. I really like all of them but in “A Good Day to Die” they fade to the background. Especially compared to the real star of the issue, John Constantine.
If the others are the Pips, the roguish magician is Gladys Knight. He’s the most intriguing character in this issue by far. If there’s any doubt that he’s supposed to be the star, just look at the artwork. Laura Braga handles the art for the bulk of the issue, drawing the team together. I thought it was okay for the most part and especially liked the opening with Scott and Barda standing in a boom tube as Apokolips explodes. On the other hand, there are multiple pages with John Constantine solo and a different artist, Darick Robertson, is on board to draw those. I liked his style a bit better, I found it to be more detailed and the panel of John with flaming eyes is a standout moment.
Tom Taylor previously wrote Constantine in several issues of “Injustice: Gods Among Us” so he has a pretty good handle on the character. One of John’s distinguishing characteristics is that he’s not a superhero. He’s not a plain-clothes hero like Superboy or Luke Cage, he’s not a hero at all. He only helps begrudgingly though he does have some admiration for superheroes. He’s also willing to fight a lot dirtier. My favorite moments were John’s interactions with Waverider. Instead of using some spell, John knocks the powerful cosmic being to his knees with a headbutt. When Waverider tries to act above it all like cosmic beings do, Constantine forces Waverider to stay put and deal with the zombie crap just like everyone else. The issue ends with just John left standing, ready to join into the fray. Though the road leading up to this moment was a little shaky, I’m interested to see where it goes.
Final Verdict: 6.5 – Not the best team-up but a pretty good issue for John Constantine.
