DC Comics reviews 5/16/23 – Titans #1, The Flash #799, Cyborg #1

Dawn of DC Primer #1

One of DC’s more successful crossovers over the last 20 years was Infinite Crisis. It wasn’t because Infinite Crisis was the unexpected sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths. It was more because of the focused effort by DC editorial to plot out a lengthy and involved prelude that eventually connected all threads with Infinite Crisis.

Dawn of DC Primer felt like the prologue to a still gestating major DC event.

Joshua Williamson, one of the core architects of the Dawn of DC era, crafts the story that comes off like a significant building block in this phase of DC comics.

Amanda Waller has become frustrated with the actions of the heroes in the DCU proper and is taking steps to deal with them. First, she dispatches Peacemaker and some other operatives to procure a very dangerous weapon of mass destruction.

Next she meets with a cabal of super villains and assassins hoping to convince them to partner with her. Williamson weaves a compelling case for Waller’s mindset and this doesn’t feel far off from her baseline portrayal.

Artist Leandro Fernandez has a raw style that works better for Waller, Peacemaker and the assassins compared to the take on the superheroes, which makes them look too average and common. Colorist Daniela Miwa smartly goes with muted tones for this darker story.

The rest of the issue is devoted to character bios with release information for the new titles.

While some of the steps in Dawn of DC haven’t been the most exciting, this direction is intriguing and should be interesting to see play out throughout the DODC universe.

Rating: 8 out of 10