DCeased: War Of The Undead Gods #5 - DC Comics

DCEASED: WAR OF THE UNDEAD GODS No. 5, February 2023

Ordinarily depicted as something of a fun-loving figure whose formidable abilities are predominantly used to either pester Superman or at least make the Kryptonian’s life a little more difficult, Tom Taylor’s “infected” incarnation of Mister Mxyzptlk in Issue Five of “DCeased: War Of The Undead Gods” will probably have “DC Comics” fans never seeing the Fifth Dimensional imp in the same light-hearted way again. Indeed, once the nigh-omnipotent alien gazes upon a “corrupted Mother Box” and becomes overwhelmed by the Anti-Life Equation, the Australian author turns Jerome Siegel’s co-creation into a truly terrifying creature who genuinely threatens the entire cosmos; “Erebos cannot be stopped. The Quintessence should focus our energy on the next universe.”

Furthermore, having established a mighty meta-human force for good on Oa which is led by Superman and supported by a veritable army of Green Lanterns, the sudden sense-shattering shift in favour of Darkseid’s zombie-like villains isn’t debatably seen until the very last minute, when the overly confident trickster fatally pauses in using his reality-warping powers to transform the New God “into a tasteful flower arrangement”. This ‘sleight of hand’ penmanship leads to a genuinely shocking moment, as the likes of Kilowog and John Stewart suddenly realise their mission to save Bolovax Vik is unachievable and get treacherously crushed to death by a being whom they thought was actually going to aid them in their quest.

Similarly as sensational is Superman’s fate at the hands of Kara Zor-El, who having been poisoned by the Anti-Life Equation on New Genesis, is depicted as an utterly vindictive and deranged “Last Daughter of Krypton” who mercilessly toasts some Bolovaxians stood cowering beside the Man of Steel without a moment’s hesitation. Admittedly, this particular twenty-two-page periodical disappointingly doesn’t provide the two combatants with much actual ‘screen time’ together, courtesy of Darkseid’s aforementioned move against Mister Mxyzptlk. But the ghastly manner in which Supergirl fries three innocent lives within mere seconds of Clark Kent assuring them of their safety is bound to have ramifications in a future face-off.

Ably assisting Taylor in his terrific storytelling are pencillers Trevor Hairsine and Neil Edwards, who both add plenty of gritty realism to the cataclysm events occurring on “one of the most populated planets in the universe.” The pair appear to be particularly proficient at imbuing “Mxy” with all the visible hallmarks of an enigmatic entity who has been driven homicidally insane, as well as plenty of jaw-breaking clout to any punches thrown.

The regular cover art of "DCEASED: WAR OF THE UNDEAD GODS" #5 by Howard Porter & Rain Beredo