DC Comics and Lazaraus Planet: Alpha #1 Spoilers and Review follows.
2023 Dawn Of DC Continues With Seismic Changes!
What To Expect.
LAZARUS PLANET: ALPHA #1
Written by MARK WAID and GENE LUEN YANG
Art by RICCARDO FEDERICI, BILLY TAN, and more
Cover by DAVID MARQUEZ and ALEJANDRO SÁNCHEZ
Variant covers by RICCARDO FEDERICI, FRANCESCO MATTINA, MATEUS MANHANINI, NATHAN SZERDY, and JORGE CORONA
Trading Card Variant
1:25 variant cover by JOHN GIANG
1:50 foil variant cover by A.L. KAPLAN
1:100 foil variant cover by DAVID MARQUEZ
and ALEJANDRO SÁNCHEZ
Team variant cover by SCOTT GODLEWSKI
$5.99 US | 48 pages | Variant $6.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 1/10/23CHANGE THE WORLD.
Following the explosive (literally) events of Batman vs. Robin #4, the Lazarus Volcano has erupted, spewing dangerous and transformative chemicals into Earth’s atmosphere! As these Lazarus clouds rain down upon the planet, people across the globe begin to develop strange new abilities, watch their already-extraordinary abilities change, and witness a whole host of chaos unlike anything the DCU has experienced before! It’s up to Damian Wayne to put out the distress call for whoever can still hear it: come to the ruins of the Hall of Justice and help save the world! Poison Ivy, Power Girl, Cyborg, Batman, and more answer the call…but why could the fate of all life as we know it rest in the hands of…Monkey Prince?
In addition the main cover, solicitation and creators credit page above the title has a few variant covers below.
The Lazarus Planet teasers.
Additional Lazarus Planet context.
Lazarus Planet: Alpha #1 Spoilers and Review.
The book opens with a few pages that explain what happened in the Batman vs. Robin event series up to issue #4 that led to Lazarus Planet (here, here and here) including an injured Batman telling the super-heroes to follow his teen son Robin’s lead?!
It is established that the Lazarus Planet eruptions have caused havoc on Earth by impacting magic, technological and science based or senstitive beings including super-heroes and super-villains.
Robin establishes two different teams with one tasked with getting magical artificats and reinforcements from Doctor Fate’s tower.
The other team is to track down Nezha and compell him to assist them in their fight against his son King Fire Bull.
However, King Fire Bull knows what they’re planning and sends his two trusted lieutenants – Silver Horn King and Gold Horn King – to stop them
While the SHG fights the heroes, they realize that Swamp Thing and Poison Ivy have gotten to Nezha first, but for what purpose remains unexplained.
Readers then learn that during the Batman vs. Robin series up to issue #4 that Black Alice was compelled by King Fire Bull to trap as many of the world’s mystical beings in the helmet of Doctor Fate.
The heroes seem able to sudue Nezha as readers get an annotated Lazarus Planet checklist in-story that shows where each of the event’s core books happenings take place.
Back at Doctor Fate’s tower, a mystical storm is raging, compelling Shazam to act.
She calls down the magical lightning, reverts to her human self, but has freed to the mystical beings form Doctor Fate’s helmet and tower.
At the other site, the heroes wonder if Nezha is actually dead.
He’s not as he’s taken over Batman quite literally.
The book’s main story ends with King Fire Bull confronting missions commander Robin!
Thee book has a back-up story that focuses on the Monkey Prince.
It appears to tell the backstory of Nezha and King Fire Bull’s father-son (adopted) relationship.
This back-up story continues in next week’s Monkey Prince #10.
Next Up.
The Pulse.
A compelling issue with dynamic action and strong emotional beats. A lot of set-up, naturally, to get readers up-to-speed for the story. Great art despite the various teams involved. Entertaining. 7.5 out of 10.
