DC Vs. Vampires: World War V #11 - DC Comics

DC VS. VAMPIRES: WORLD WAR V No. 11, September 2025

Featuring plenty of perilous partnerships and treacherous double-dealings, as well as some seriously hazardous treks across the Earth’s most inhospitable landscapes, many readers perusing Issue Eleven of “DC Vs Vampires: World War V” were probably exhausted once Matthew Rosenberg’s twenty-four page plot concluded. In fact, by the time a visibly emotional Alfred Pennyworth shockingly sacrifices the highly unreliable Robin to save Humanity’s last chance of a treaty with the surviving super-powered blood-drinkers, quite a few bibliophiles will doubtless genuinely feel as if they’ve been physically battling the New Gods and Darkseid themselves.

Much of this palpable fatigue is arguably created by the publication’s sheer pulse-pounding pace, which doesn’t seem to let up even after the likes of Lois Lane, Steel and the Atom have safely been brought to the Spectre’s secret hideout. Initially, this particular moment of respite appears to be about to get boringly bogged down in exposition as to just how the “tyrannical ruler of the planet Apokolips” can be defeated. However, due to the American author’s use of the utterly zany Harley Quinn, the actual explanation of Nightwing's "great alien-killing machine" is surprisingly delivered rather energetically; “What kind of doctor is she?”

Similarly as entertaining though is Wonder Woman’s escape from the New Gods’ clutches, after cold-bloodedly decapitating the unwisely over-confident Mistress Gilotina in a trial by combat. It’s crystal clear that this mini-series’ heroes would be very wise not to trust the demonic vampire who now claims the crown over all other Nosferatu. But dead Diana’s transformation from a badly beaten plaything of Darkseid back to an arrogant exterminator is quite wonderfully penned, and makes Black Canary’s agreement to work alongside her all the more dangerous for mankind.

Just as successful as this comic’s largely dialogue-driven writing is Otto Schmidt’s pencilling, which appears to go to great lengths to show the audience just how utterly exhausted (and emaciated) any person still alive is. Of particular note is the artist’s tremendous work sketching the sizeable cast’s myriad of faces – all of which show a vast range of emotions, feelings and reactions with just a few simple lines here and there. Furthermore, the Siberian illustrator does a cracking job in Wonder Woman’s aforementioned return to power, with just the Amazonian’s eye slits alone projecting the tremendous damage the mass-murderer could inflict upon any mortal if she was inclined to do so.

The regular cover art of "DC VS. VAMPIRES: WORLD WAR V" #11 by Otto Schmidt

Titans #14 - DC Comics

TITANS No. 14, October 2024

Wonderfully paced and containing the odd misdirection which will surely catch out this comic’s audience, Tom Taylor’s twenty-page plot for Issue Fourteen of “Titans” certainly seems to show just how dangerous Trigon’s daughter could actually be if she were to fully embrace the devilishly dark magic which flows through her veins. In fact, it’s probably difficult for even the most ardent fan of the titular characters to recall Marv Wolfman’s co-creation being quite as all-powerful as she is in this comic; “Broadcasting on emergency channel Omega. This is Nightwing. We need reinforcements. We need every hero on Earth.”

Intriguingly though, the prodigious penmanship on show throughout this book should still convincingly persuade the audience that Dick Grayson’s super-team are about to take the empath down, and if not them, then certainly the “divine entity representing vengeance” himself - The Spectre. For whilst some may well doubt Tempest’s ability to “break the soul gem” and release Rachel Roth from her ruby-red prison, few bibliophiles would surely wager against the nigh omnipotent Ghostly Guardian from defeating the demonic hybrid – especially after he’s quite literally cut her in two with a giant flaming sword.

Also adding a genuinely touching moment to all these nerve-wrenching situations is Beast Boy’s heart-warming concern for his beloved “Rae”, and the shapeshifter’s subsequent horror when he realises a supposedly bested Dark-Winged Queen was actually just fooling with him. Garfield Logan’s emotions are clearly running high for the possessed Azarathian Cambion in this publication, and his concern that she’ll be permanently injured as a result of the Changeling’s comrades-in-arms is evident for all to see - even during the opening when he utters a desperate, tearful plea for Raven not to attack Nightwing in a highly dramatic flashback sequence.

Aiding and abetting Taylor with his storytelling is Lucas Meyer, whose pencils clearly add to the increasing sense of tension permeating this periodical. In addition, the illustrator’s concluding panels do a truly astounding job of depicting Trigon’s apparent victory, and Grayson’s convincing concern that his friends need every helping hand they can get from across the planet (and maybe beyond) if they’re to tackle the two “extinction-level beings” before him and Swamp-Thing.

The regular cover art of "TITANS" #14 by Lucas Meyer & Marcelo Maiolo

DCeased: War Of The Undead Gods #8 - DC Comics

DCEASED: WAR OF THE UNDEAD GODS  No. 7, May 2023

Poignantly penned straight from its start, this “final, cataclysmic conclusion” to “DCeased: War Of The Undead Gods” definitely delivers a fitting end to an “epic saga that began over three years ago”. Indeed, despite the mini-series’ heroes seemingly deducing just how to emphatically defeat Erebos within mere moments of them celebrating their initial victory over the “primordial deity” on the surface of Earth-2, the ‘sword of Damocles’ palpably still hangs over all the sizeable cast’s heads as their skilfully steer Warworld straight through the giant personification of darkness’s near impregnable flesh.

Much of this enthralling atmosphere is arguably due to the way Tom Taylor pens Damian Wayne as ever the secretive caped crusader, who trusts no-one except the personification of Death with the actual details of his suicidal plan. This distrustful intrigue repeatedly causes the reader to question whether or not the young Batman’s grand scheme is actually going to work, especially when it involves both an alliance with “the tyrannical Lord of Apokolips” and the mission’s super-powered strike team physically dying for a whole minute so as to allow the likes of Kal-El to be carried though a deadly Doom Tube.

Somewhat disappointingly though, there may well be the odd bibliophile who feels the Dark Knight’s eventual demise is a tad drawn out, thanks to the Spectre surprisingly deciding to allow Superboy to visit his doomed friend until the very last moment. This tearful goodbye is debatably a bit too sickly sweet and contrived considering just how long it takes for “the heart of the anti-life equation and the life equation” to collide, and perhaps the sheet space might have been put to better use depicting Ares' ultimately fatal fight against Erebos in outer space rather than a sedentary Damian being told how great a costumed vigilante he’d become.

Happily however, pencillers Trevor Hairsine and Lucas Meyer still manage to keep the readers’ attention with their excellent layouts, even whilst Batman is simply sat on the floor of Warworld alongside a tearful Jon Kent awaiting his fate. In fact, one of the highlights of this comic is the creative team’s decision to have Bruce Wayne’s son don a shining all-white Batsuit, which is subsequently wonderfully inked by Andy Lanning and coloured by Rain Beredo.

The regular cover art of "DCEASED: WAR OF THE UNDEAD GODS" #7 by Howard Porter & Rain Beredo

DCeased: War Of The Undead Gods #7 - DC Comics

DCEASED: WAR OF THE UNDEAD GODS  No. 7, May 2023

Successfully pulling together more plot threads than this mini-series’ audience would probably care to recollect, Tom Taylor’s narrative for Issue Seven of “DCeased: War Of The Undead Gods” must have left many a bibliophile utterly shellshocked at the intense ferocity of the Australian author’s “final stand for the universe”. In fact, the Stan Lee Excelsior Award-winner marvellously manages to weave so many of his epic storyline’s surviving super-heroes into this particular twenty-two-page periodical that arguably few readers will be able to ascertain just when during the chaotic battle the tide finally turns in favour of those brave warriors who would oppose “some of the most powerful entities in existence”.

Furthermore, Superboy’s determined resistance against the zombie-like “slaves to the Anti-Life” depressingly appears to be on the verge of total collapse at the start of this comic, following the shocking fall of both Damian Wayne’s incarnation of the Caped Crusader and Brainiac. These two enthrallingly penned moments are distinctly disquieting, with the Dark Knight’s demise at the hands of Undead Darkseid’s forces proving especially poignant as the protagonist is given a brief opportunity to say his goodbyes to some of his friends and family; “You’ve grown to be a very sensible young Batman.”

Indeed, this upsetting scene solidifies an engrossing theme throughout the book, where Taylor repeatedly depicts the unconquerable love given by a father to his son and the subsequent pride shown when their offspring triumph over their galaxy-ending tribulations. Such magical moments by the Melbourne-born writer should genuinely make a connection with any parent perusing this publication, providing them with both deep sadness and exhilarating joy as Mister Miracle knowingly sacrifices himself to his boy’s murderous rage, and Superman collects the badly burnt body of Jon Kent after the “Teenager Of Steel” bravely places himself in front of Warworld’s planet-destroying weapon.

Superbly sketching all these sense-shattering shenanigans is David Hairsine and Lucas Meyer, who between them add tons of world-ending atmosphere to the numerous fast-paced events as they frantically unfold. Of specific note is the sudden appearance of a thousand Kryptonians from Kandor via a stunning splash-page, who surprisingly swoop up into outer space to tackle “the biggest gun Erebos held” after their miniaturised bottle was reverse engineered by Cyborg “in a matter of moments.”

The regular cover art of "DCEASED: WAR OF THE UNDEAD GODS" #7 by Howard Porter & Rain Beredo

DCeased: War Of The Undead Gods #6 - DC Comics

DCEASED: WAR OF THE UNDEAD GODS  No. 6, April 2023

Largely focusing upon a cataclysmic confrontation between two towering juggernauts of the “DC Comics” Universe, Tom Taylor’s narrative for Issue Six of “DCeased: War Of The Undead Gods” pulse-poundingly depicts a bout of pugilism like few publications have arguably done before. Sure, none of this book’s readers would have initially felt Mister Mxyzptlk warranted so high a threat level as to draw the ire of a planet-sized Spectre. But this particular incarnation of the “Fifth Dimensional imp” has been completely consumed by the anti-life equation, and now threatens to wipe out every last living thing in existence with his “nigh-omnipotence.”

Furthermore, it isn’t just the Melbourne-born writer’s basic premise of two colossal forces striking each other with world-ending impacts which probably most captures the audience’s imagination. Instead, it’s more likely the Australian’s enthralling extra elements to help emphasise the sheer scale of the contest, such as an armada of insect-sized Green Lanterns desperately attempting to distract Superman’s annoying nemesis from the Forties by universally roping one of his wrists with the emerald power of their rings, and resultantly being squashed flat by an irritated sweep of Mxy’s hand.

These ‘reality tearing tribulations’ are also rather nicely supported by an excellent secondary thread concerning the galactic war reaching Earth-2 and Alfred Pennyworth shockingly stepping forward as the one entity who might thwart Darkseid’s “unstoppable army of infected New Gods, Yellow Lanterns and more…” This moment of madness comes just as Batman appears to be on the verge of being beaten to death by an utterly insane Izaya the Inheritor, and surely must have caused many a bibliophile to quite literally catch their breath; “This is the spirit of vengeance and the rage of a man. You will not take another son from me!”

Equally as adept at storytelling is artist Trevor Hairsine, who even manages to prodigiously pencil the odd black hole being punched into outer space. The British illustrator’s “detailed style” proves especially good at emphasising the utter despair flooding over Bruce Wayne’s aged butler, who having seen his entire family recently wiped out before his very eyes (and predominantly at his own hands), just cannot cope seeing another person he loves die right in front of him.

The regular cover art of "DCEASED: WAR OF THE UNDEAD GODS" #6 by Howard Porter & Rain Beredo

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

DC Vs. Vampires #8 - DC Comics

DC VS. VAMPIRES No. 8, October 2022

Admirably living up to its pre-publication blurb of continuing “this bloodthirsty series”, James Tynion IV and Matthew Rosenberg’s script for Issue Eight of “DC Vs. Vampires” certainly tries to cover a lot of different plot-threads within this twenty-two-page periodical. However, whilst the writing duo are enthrallingly successful with both the Birds of Prey heading back “into the heart of the vampire kingdom”, and Supergirl’s action-packed crossing of “a vampire-infested ocean”, Green Arrow’s mission is disappointingly barely touched upon, with the authors instead disconcertingly depicting Oliver Queen squandering eighteen panels simply arguing with his partner, Black Canary; “They’ve got blood farms, Dinah. Humans kept in cages to feed on. I can’t let that go. You can’t ask me to.”

Fortunately though, this dialogue driven interlude is easily forgiven considering the quality of the penmanship surrounding it, most notably Kara Zor-El’s terrifying trek towards Australia and her subsequent battle with a sea full of homicidal fish-people. Indeed, the Atlantean’s attack upon the Kryptonian’s small-sized fishing trawler is debatably the highlight of this comic, as both John Henry Irons and Jayna demonstrate just how truly desperate the super-heroes are by quite literally tearing their scaly foes apart with their bare hands.

Similarly as gruesome is this publication’s portrayal of Jason Blood’s apparent massacre at the House of Mystery, and a badly wounded John Constantine’s miraculous escape. Admittedly, much of this harrowing confrontation sadly occurs ‘off-screen’, just as the world’s “leading expert on the occult and demonology” politely introduces himself to a startled Phantom Stranger, Spectre and Doctor Fate. But Otto Schmidt’s marvellous pencilling of an open-mouthed Barbara Gordon when she discovers Hellblazer’s mutilated form in the battle’s aftermath speaks a thousand words as to the fiery carnage which must have taken place inside the Kentucky-based residency.

Seemingly sat on the side-lines, repeatedly throwing a bucketful of gore over the printed proceedings in every other scene, is this book’s artistic team of Schmidt and Daniele Di Nicuolo, who together genuinely appear to completely splatter anyone in ‘claret’ whenever the opportunity arises. In fact, bibliophiles will probably be hard-pressed to recollect a title sporting so much evisceration and disembowelment this side of a Teen Plus reader rating.

The regular cover art of "DC VS. VAMPIRES" #8 by Guillem March

Gotham By Midnight #3 [The New 52] - DC Comics

GOTHAM BY MIDNIGHT No. 3, March 2015

It is not entirely clear which is the more frightening aspect of “Gotham By Midnight”. This issue's spine-tinglingly good narrative of a soul-sucking shadow creature skulking the dimly-lit corridors of Gotham County Hospital feasting upon whoever it can find, or the fact that according to Diamond Comic Distributors, the book dropped in sales by over six thousand copies to an unsettling 21,300 magazines in January 2015.

Whatever the reason for this disappointing decline in popularity, possibly connected to the news of artist Ben Templesmith’s imminent departure from the periodical, many readers have missed Ray Fawkes pen a superbly sinister and claustrophobic tale which not only offers plenty of modern-day thrills and scares. But also delivers a somewhat engaging backstory as to how Detective Drake and the human host of The Spectre, Jim Corrigan, first encountered one another during an undercover narcotics operation.

In addition the “Batman Eternal” writer also provides forensic specialist Doctor Tarr with some most welcome ‘screen time’ as Szandor steps away from translating endless hours of “gibberish” within Midnight Shift’s precinct house and physically comes face to face with “tall, dark and gruesome.” Indeed the bespectacled expert’s confrontation and subsequent conversation with the “autonomous human shadow with an articulated heart” in ‘Hungarian’ is probably the highlight of “We Become What We Fight”. Certainly it allows for Corrigan to demonstrate his usual dry-wit during a high-pressure situation and stalls the demonic creature long enough for Lisa Drake to destroy the monster with the light from her hand-torch.

Marginally less satisfying, perhaps simply because it concerns a more mundane or rather predominantly ‘non-supernatural’ storyline, are the six pages depicting Jim’s recruitment of the young female cop after she rescues him from the boot of a drug dealer’s car.

Both stories are wonderfully illustrated by the quirky cartoon-like pencils of Templesmith. Although for once the Australian’s panels portraying the flashback scenes aren’t obvious enough not to require repeated re-readings just to ascertain what is happening during the “Skull Dust” bust. Albeit a lot of the difficulty in discerning the Eagle Award winner’s drawings is due more to the predominantly grayscale pages being overly inked and therefore unfathomably dark, than any inability on behalf of the artist to adequately visualise events.

The variant cover art of "GOTHAM BY MIDNIGHT" No. 3 by Bill Sienkiewicz

Gotham By Midnight #2 [The New 52] - DC Comics

GOTHAM BY MIDNIGHT No. 2, February 2015

There is something distinctly disturbing and unsettling about the contents of “We Will Not Rest”. Something which is only hinted at by the rather sedentary Ben Templesmith cover of Sister Justine and Detective Corrigan, the hand of The Spectre eerily glowing at his side, simply ‘standing there’ atop a grotesquely distorted grinning face.

But just as soon as the first page is turned, the chilling tone of this comic is swiftly ramped up as writer Ray Fawkes takes both reader, and to a lesser extent Sergeant Rook, on a horrifying journey to see some of the things which nightmares are truly made of. Whether it be the giant spectral Nun, her wimple hiding little of her putrefying features and whose large clawed talons can clearly tear a man’s soul to shreds, or the ghastly transformation of Father Keller into a multi-tentacled slavering fiend, there is little content within these twenty pages which won’t quicken the beating of your heart. Indeed, by the end of the comic I was almost as mentally exhausted as Rook, stunned by what I had experienced and eager to “…go home’ and read something somewhat less emotionally intense.

Unfortunately the 2012 Eisner Award nominee just won’t let his story’s grip on the reader rest, for after a brief interlude of coffee and bagels, the Midnight Shift discover that the dread terror witnessed at Slaughter Swamp States Park is just the beginning of something even more disgustingly horrific.

All of these distressing events are wonderfully illustrated by Ben Templesmith, worryingly so at times. His unique somewhat scratchy style of pencilling perfectly captures both the distorted and stretched aspect of the Nun’s frenzied ghost, as well as the debilitating fear ‘frozen’ on the faces of Sister Justine and Sergeant Rook. Although Templesmith’s depiction of the demonic drooling Minister, tombstone teeth and snaking tongue is perhaps the most disturbing series of drawings of them all. “Woof Woof!” 

The highlight however has to be the Australian artist’s handling of The Spectre, especially when things “…get biblical…” There’s no sign at all of the green cloaked, white tight-wearing spiritual manifestation originally co-conceived by Jerry Siegel and Bernard Baily. Fittingly so as well, as such an appearance, ghostly apparition or not, would doubtless destroy the ‘realistic roots’ which Fawkes is currently trying to plant with this title. Instead, Templesmith simply hints at the coming of the vengeful spirit, producing a series of panels concentrating on the terrified facial expressions of witnesses to his presence and awesome power rather than The Spectre himself.

The variant cover art of "GOTHAM BY MIDNIGHT" No. 2 by Ray Fawkes

Gotham By Midnight #1 [The New 52] - DC Comics

GOTHAM BY MIDNIGHT No. 1, January 2015

It is clear, straight from the eerie and distinctively Ben Templesmith cover art, that “DC Comics” want this particular title to evoke a sense of supernatural foreboding and dread within its readership. In fact I’ve seldom encountered a comic which is so rank with the effort to portray a demoralizingly gloomy, dark and sinister world of the paranormal.

Certainly the book’s writer, Ray Fawkes, would seem an obvious choice for the publisher to have selected to script the storyline. Previously responsible for “Justice League Dark” and “Constantine” the Toronto-based author clearly has something of a pedigree when it comes to writing about ‘situations deemed unfit for traditional’ police work. Fawkes also uses the tried and tested technique of starting “We Do Not Sleep” from the perspective of an outsider to the Midnight Shift; a sceptic from Internal Affairs whom the reader can relate to and accompany, as Sergeant Rook encounters the various “…guys who handle the strange stuff” and faces the horrors of their latest macabre investigation. There’s certainly plenty of unsettling ‘spooks’ throughout this first issue with which to unnerve the reader and these provide some genuine spine-tingling moments; especially as Detective Corrigan and Rook approach Slaughter Swamp State Park and the Attwood girls increase their frantic babbling in a long dead language.

Perhaps most disconcerting (and thus successful) of all however is Fawke’s use of The Spectre, which is masterfully underplayed despite there surely being the temptation to attract attention to the title by ‘showcasing’ one of the most iconic anti-heroes in the “DC Comics” universe. This story is predominantly centred on the character of Jim Corrigan, the human host, and his ‘down to earth’ fellow officers facing terrors from beyond the grave. It is not supposedly a super-powered tale of the spirit of justice obtaining his vengeance upon the criminal fraternity of Gotham City. As a result there’s a genuine vulnerability to the fears and concerns of the cops in the story, including Corrigan, and that simply adds to the unease of the reader as the supernatural events unfold.

All of these happenings are reasonably well illustrated by Ben Templesmith. But the Australian Comic Book artist’s scratchy, almost child-like scribblings, though quite fitting and ghost-like for such a title as this, are only truly effective because of his tremendously impressive application of colour to each panel. Indeed his stark contrasting use of browns and blues for ‘safe’ and ‘sinister’ scenes, whilst superb at conjuring up a disquieting atmosphere of trepidation, arguably demonstrates Templesmith’s creative abilities are far better suited to ‘one-off’ posters, trading cards and motion picture concept work, than for the ‘heavier’ multiple-panelled pages of a comic book.

The variant cover art of "GOTHAM BY MIDNIGHT" No. 1 by Andrea Sorrentino and Marcelo Maiolo