DC Comics reviews 3/29/22 – DC vs. Vampires #6

Shadow War Alpha #1

Shadow War kicks off with an explosive opening chapter. While too many events start strong and end with barely a ripple of a whimper, it’s ok to trust the process with Shadow War.

The main reason is because Joshua Williamson is writing it. He’s handling Robin, Deathstroke and until recently was also writing Batman. That basically makes Shadow War as self-contained an event as possible. There’s no danger of Williamson ignoring continuity he established and the characters will all sound consistent.

It doesn’t hurt that Williamson is one of the more reliable writers at DC.

Ra’s al Ghul has an important declaration to reveal to the world. It’s big enough to set tremors through law enforcement and the various criminal empires. And it’s significant enough to finally reunite Batman and Robin.

Williamson sets the stage up wonderfully igniting a powder keg that should easily propel Shadow War forward.

Viktor Bogdanovic handles the art with Daniel Henriques providing the inking. Bogdanovic has been away from high profile DC books for a few months and seems recharged. His pencils skillfully capture the emotional sentiment in quiet moments and are electric in the action scenes.

Mike Spicer’s colors and Troy Peteri’s lettering are equally sharp giving this opening chapter a big event feel.

Williamson sets up Shadow War as a must-read crossover for fans of Batman, Deathstroke and Robin. Hopefully the rest of the series will be this engaging.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10