DCeased: War of the Undead Gods #2 is published by DC Comics and written by Tom Taylor. Pencils are by Trevor Hairsine, inks by Andy Lanning and colours by Rain Beredo. Letters are by Saida Temofonte. Main cover art is by Hairsine and Beredo.
War of the Undead Gods #2 is available now in print and on digital where all good comics are sold.
Synopsis
The undead Darkseid begins his assault on the galaxy…attacking Korugar first! Could the fate of the planet depend on the Yellow Lantern Corps teaming up with a Green Lantern? Also, what horrors do Big Barda and Mister Miracle find on New Genesis?!
Review
Last month I said Tom Taylor had instantly reminded readers why DCeased is the blockbuster title it has become. Little did I realise what he had in store for us as the 8-issue series returns for its second outing.
War of the Undead Gods #2 comes swinging out of the gate to grasp at our heartstrings in a similar manner to the first issue. Picking up the pieces with the human impact of the zombie virus. This time we’re catching up with Big Barda and Scott Free, aka Mister Miracle. With Barda taken by the virus, it was up to Scott to parent their child and we quickly learn that his grief had gotten in the way of his paternal duties. Taylor strikes deep to the emotional core of what makes DCeased so successful, its ability to play on real human feelings amidst an incredibly sci-fi/horror story.
This being DCeased though, there isn’t much time to grieve potential losses before the situation gets complicated. The crux of this second issue sets up our real conflict for this final battle, undead Darkseid. The character has loomed large over the DCeased universe for a while now and very quickly makes his presence known. Wielding literal anti-life makes Darkseid an even more formidable foe, one who is quickly taking hold of the wider DC Universe.
To illustrate the spectacle of Darkseid’s undead army, Taylor offers up the planet Korugar as tribute. The planet never had a chance but the scene allows for the team of Hairsine, Lanning and Beredo to create pure magic on the page. Last month I talked about how Hairsine has created a striking visual style across the DCeased books. That style continues to amplify the horror and drama in Taylor’s words perfectly.
Whilst Darkseid bookends this issue, the main driver for the narrative follows on directly where issue #1 left off. The remaining heroes of Earth find themselves in the company of a defeated Brainiac. The villain arrives with knowledge of Darkseid’s plan but leaves the heroes ruminating on whether it would be a good idea to take his advice at face value. Seeing the heroes argue over their next move adds a certain sense of impending doom to proceedings. As the second issue wraps up, Taylor twists the knife one last time thanks to a Kryptonian cameo which will certainly stick with me until issue #3 hits shelves in October.
Verdict
War of the Undead Gods fires on all cylinders with its second issue, ramping up the stakes and causing a multiverse of trouble for our heroes.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
