DC Comics reviews 3/18/20 – Batman #91, DCeased Unkillables #2, Justice League #43
Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #4
The final issue of Year of the Villain has to accomplish a lot. Lex Luthor has to lose his cheat code powers, the rest of the Legion of Doom have to return and the deck has to be set for Death Metal without making readers feel like this was a non-event.
Fortunately writer James Tynion IV and artist Steve Epting are up to the challenge of wrapping one of DC’s stronger Year of the Villain titles.
Lex Luthor has assembled his squad of villains to take on The Batman Who Laughs‘ corrupted heroes. That clash is just the backdrop from the main event of Luthor vs TBWL and it delivers.
The fight makes for a fitting conclusion to decide who is the ultimate villain. Tynion once again does a great job of providing insight into Luthor’s mindset countered with the unpredictability of TBWL. Epting renders this battle with nice, crisp detail.
This actually makes for a stronger cliffhanger to Death Metal than the somewhat abrupt final issue of Scott Snyder’s Justice League run. If you’re not hyped for Death Metal after this one you’re just never going to be ready for what’s poised to be a crazy in a good way event for DC.
Rating: 9.5 out of 10