“Fixing the DC Universe”
Welcome to the column where I break down the latest groundbreaking issue of DC Comics’ Doomsday Clock.
Doomsday Clock is the spiritual sequel to The Watchmen, involving the DC Universe and its own hijinks mixed in. While the book has been excellent with one of the finest creative teams, Writer Geoff Johns and Artist Gary Frank, providing some of their best work, the book has been plagued by delays.
Starting in November 2017, it has only released 9 issues in 15 months. While I do understand that it isn’t easy to provide amazing art and it can happen at only its own pace, I personally think they could have waited a while making sure the artist was well ahead into the book, making sure it could have been released monthly.
Nevertheless, each issue has worth the wait. The latest Doomsday Clock issue #9 was easily one of the best issues of its run. It has the DC Universe finally acknowledge the existence of Dr. Manhattan. There are some really great moments in the issue which I want to point out.
Wally West
The references to Wally West, the presumably deceased Flash from Heroes in Crisis, along with hints about the Justice Society of America (JSA) and the Legion of Super-Heroes (LOSH) were welcomed.
Despite being the lynchpin for DC Rebirth, Wally has been strangely absent from this series. While the present version is dead and battling rumors of being a hero killer, the status of Wally is the future is unclear. But Lex Luthor has been researching the changes in the universe and he references and asks Lois Lane about Wally West. This was such a “holy shit” moment for me. I am really hoping that Wally gets to have an epic confrontation with Dr. Manhattan, the “god” who destroyed his life along with the inevitable return of the JSA and Legion
The DC Universe vs. Dr. Manhattan
In three pages, Geoff Johns shows us that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Dick Grayson is back. Barbara Gordon, Donna Troy and Jason Todd go back to older costumes. Green Arrow and Black Canary are together gain. Aquaman and Mera are together again. He showcases almost the entire DC Universe fighting against Dr. Manhattan in an epic brawl where even magic cannot help. Captain Atom, Shazam, Supergirl, Green Lanterns, Zatanna, Constantine, none of them is a match for the good doctor. At the end, after studying them for a while, Dr. Manhattan seemingly obliterates them. This was something that I believe that everyone had been waiting for and it was every bit as savage and spectacular as I expected
The Trinity
As Superman lies in a coma and Batman recovers after the Firestorm incident, Wonder Woman finally reappears after her sojourn in Themyscira to address the United Nations. While Lois Lane confront each other with Lex mentioning that he was responsible for the video of the JSA and Wally West and how they need to work together at the moment. Wonder Woman’s speech gets interrupted by Black Adam, Giganta, and the Creeper who are definitely going to take advantage of the disappearance of heroes.
The Superman Theory
Firestorm had a pretty big issue. Dr. Martin Stein is revealed to be a mastermind behind the creation of some American metas along with deliberately causing the “accident” of Firestorm. This effectively sets up a showdown between Ronnie Raymond and Dr. Stein as both need to deal with how they can (or will?) move forward from a possibly huge betrayal.
The Future
Those three pages illustrating the various heroes were particularly satisfying. The big boss battle between Superman and Dr. Manhattan has been really hyped up.
I really hope it is a battle as DC Rebirth described it.
“There’s going to be a war between Hope and Despair. Love and Apathy. Faith and Disbelief”
Let me know what you think of this column at marveldcallaccess@gmail.com
