DC All In Special equal parts hopeful, grimdark, with a [REDACTED] in the middle

It’s the dawn of a new age. The heroes of the DC Universe have survived Amanda Waller, and now they’re trying to make a better world for themselves and everyone. But as that hopeful day begins, something darker arrives, too. Darkseid is here, on a mission like never before, and his attack will create something new. Something dark. DC All-In Special #1 is written by Scott Snyder and Joshua Williamson; drawn by Daniel Sampere, Dan Mora and Wes Craig; colored by Alejandro Sanchez, Tamra Bonvillain and Mike Spicer; and lettered by Steve Wands. 

Matt Lazorwitz: We stand at the gateway of a bold new era. Before we dive in, I thought it would be fun to ask: What is the first DC event series you remember reading? For me, it was either Armageddon 2001 or Zero Hour, depending on if you count annual events.

Will Nevin: What was the first event we read for BatChat? You know me and my smooth brain — all these events run together.

Tony Thornley: “Eclipso: The Darkness Within”! I had the Green Lantern chapter and nothing else! If you’re talking an actual event though, it was probably Zero Hour.

Rasmus Skov Lykke: I think it was actually Crisis on Infinite Earths, or Kingdom Come (if that counts). Though neither were as it came out, but tracked down long after, because I kept hearing good things about them. Crisis was a beast of a crossover, even just sticking to the main event. SO many characters I had no idea about. But it definitely felt epic.

Alpha

Matt: I would not have put money on Booster Gold being the central figure in this new phase of the DC Universe. I’m not complaining; I like Booster. But he’s one of those characters whose prominence rises and falls, and it seems he’s on the ascent again.

Tony: DC has a lot of trends in events. They often seem to echo the past. We’ve gotten three major Crises, a few small ones, all of them with very specific callbacks each time. We often recall “The Death of Superman” whenever Doomsday shows up, when the Joker and Batgirl are on the same page The Killing Joke pops up. Since 52, it seems that Booster is a character that takes that seat. When Booster pops up, it’s a big deal. Most recently, think of his big appearances — the Bat-wedding and Heroes in Crisis — two really big deals.

Will: I don’t think we could have a worse use of him than the wedding. One of the all-time terrible Bat stories.

Tony: I think Williamson uses Booster better than those appearances here, but it’s legitimately entirely just to be a more personable piece of foreshadowing. I can’t say I hate it, though. I think it works.

Rasmus: Yeah, I think Booster fits the tone well.

He’s that weird blend of a goofy character who is trying to be better and a harbinger of more serious stakes. When he showed up, I knew we were in for higher stakes than I’d previously assumed. Booster just has that connection to both time travel and, through that, the multiverse. So time travel, the multiverse and Darkseid (as shown on the cover)? Shit’s getting real.

Matt: It is definitely getting real. I enjoyed the first half of this story a bit more than the Darkseid fight. Was it pretty much the beginning of the Justice League Unlimited TV series? Yes. But that’s one of my favorite animated series of all time, and I like the idea of the League expanding beyond just a core team. The trinity, and Mr. Terrific, setting everything in motion, making a safe space for heroes is a cool idea. But then Darkseid shows up, which is why we can’t have nice things.

Tony: And this is so much of the cartoon for those scenes; it felt like a warm blanket. Comfort food is a good thing. Sometimes we need popcorn, sometimes we need to expand our horizons. But comfort food is not talked about much in those conversations. We need that, too.

But holy crap, that Darkseid entrance ruled.

Will: Once you bring the existential crisis to the multitude of universes, you lose a bit of grounding and relatability. So I’m with you, Brother Matt — the simpler bits of this were better.

Matt: Well, this is trying to be many things, but I don’t think grounded is one of them. Not everyone wants every comic to be a grounded, gritty noir. 

Will: What if everything *was* a grounded, gritty noir? I’d complain a lot less.

Matt: I love those too, but this is a cosmic epic.

Tony: And it doesn’t get any more epic than Darkseid with the power of the Spectre bursting on the scene to kick the asses of the League, infuse one of the ID cards with Omega energy (or Anti-Life?) and tear a hole in reality. This was the scene that I think stepped up the issue from “good but a bit tropey” to “son of a bitch, I’m in.”

Rasmus: These opening scenes also serve two important functions. Not only did they stand in contrast to Darkseid showing up and ruining everyone’s day, it also stands in contrast to what seems to be established in the other half of this comic, the Absolute universe. As we’ll learn, that universe seems to suck, and be the grittiest version of everything. So showing our heroes actually having fun, doing heroics in shining, bright colors. That sense of fun, of hope. That’s what separates the two universes.

Omega

Matt: Before we get into anything more serious, and there’s plenty of serious to be had here, I have to ask: Does the Quintessence do anything other than show up to get their godly asses kicked? Because that’s all I can think of them doing.

Tony: Get their asses kicked and stand around ominously.

Seriously, they’re the worst.

Matt: But aside from that, this flip side of the special is about Darkseid, who is possibly the most overused villain this side of the Joker. There was a time when Darkseid’s appearance made the reader as shocked as the heroes on the page. But since the New 52, Darkseid has popped up more and more frequently, been reduced to a baby and carried around in a Baby Bjorn by Batman, and made into the slave of the Great Darkness, so I feel like that impact has been lessened. This feels like an attempt to remind readers why Darkseid is such a big threat, and I think for that, it works.

Rasmus: It definitely worked for me. Maybe especially because I haven’t actually been paying too much attention to the DC Universe the last couple of years. The only two titles I’m currently picking up are Batman and The Flash (though I do read a handful of others in trade). So while I haven’t seen all of those lesser Darkseid appearances, I knew about them. Which meant taking the time to reestablish why he’s such a menacing entity definitely paid off for me.

Will: Even rewinding a pinch back to Absolute Power, it seems like they were trying to explain more of the New Gods stuff than they usually do, so that’s a great help for readers who haven’t been around forever. Here, though, I don’t feel like we got the same sense of care — I mean, if not for our recent Man-Bat show, I wouldn’t have had any idea who Blaze is. But, ultimately, that’s whatever, you know?

Tony: Yeah, I really dug the Darkseid scenes. It felt like he was a threatening cosmic evil for the first time since probably Final Crisis. A few of the cuts were a little too deep (besides Will being absolutely right about Blaze, there were a few New Gods I didn’t recognize), and the page in Heaven was weirdly out of place. Otherwise though, I liked Darkseid’s journey a lot.

Rasmus: I liked the actual journey, including the page from Heaven. But the start of it all didn’t hit me right. I’ll admit that it’s partly my own fault. I’ve just read superhero comics for too long. So when Darkseid dramatically chops off his own hand or kills Kalibak, his own son, I just don’t buy it. Darkseid action figures have two hands, and so will the comic character within a few years.

That doesn’t mean that Wes Craig doesn’t draw the hell out of those moments, though. Because he’s just killing it on these pages. So much drama, so many emotions, so much raw energy!

Will: The big deal here is the dawn of the new Absolute Universe, and we got only the barest taste of what that’s going to be like. And if I’m going to be completely honest, I didn’t get the sense of anything more than grimdark.

Tony: But I’m totally with you there on the Absolute Universe though, Will. As an introduction to that universe, this absolutely fell short. Though, yes, I’m still picking up Absolute Batman, I totally do not understand why I should care. I’m still a massive Superman fan, but I cannot bring myself to care about this take on Superman at all, and this did nothing to sway me. Grimdark is right.

Rasmus: To be honest, it made me less interested in the Absolute titles. Part of that might just have been me not paying enough attention before, but I didn’t know that it was going to be a grimdark universe. I was going to pick up every first issue, because of the combination of the caliber of creators attached and the desire to see a new twist on these familiar characters. But if that “new” twist is just a dark and gritty world, then we’ve already seen that a million times before.

Matt: And that is what it seems to be, which is strange. Isn’t that what Dr. Manhattan was trying to do with New 52 Earth, or Pandora, or whoever? And Rebirth was a reaction to that. Is this that, but a conscious choice to call it out, rather than backing into it when they realize fans don’t want a grimdark DCU?

Tony: Can I say the thing we avoided so far?

THRILLED. THRILLED to see the Legion is returning. 

Will: I think Tony is excited, guys.

Tony: That center splash reveal of the Legion of Super-Heroes was fantastic. But to what I was saying about events at DC being so circular…

The Great Darkness Saga again? Really?

All-In All

Matt: We talked about this a little above, but I just wanted everyone to have a spot to talk about their thoughts on the direction this seems to be heading, and what we might be looking forward to from this setup and what DC has solicited.

DC has promised me a more hopeful, fun DCU on the regular since 2016, and that has been snatched away every time by yet another Crisis. I would like a longer period where the main DC is a home for heroes. I’m not asking for low stakes, but I want to see the Watchtower and the heroes working together. 

Of the Absolute books, well, I’m reading Batman because I’m me, and I am looking forward to Wonder Woman, as Hayden Sherman’s art kills. And we didn’t talk about the last/mid-page reveal, but I want that Absolute book right now. I have missed an ongoing series starring the Legion.

Speaking of the Watchtower, the new Question miniseries, teased a bit here, is something I am hugely excited for. Also, Chris Condon on Green Arrow will hopefully help me with how much I miss his neo-Western That Texas Blood from Image.

Will: We’ve tried to not judge this thing before it got into our grubby paws, and the time for that circumspection is nearly over. I’ll admit to coming at this from a hardcore Bat perspective — that’s my guy, that’s the book I regularly read, etc. And I’m not even sure what I want out of it. Darker, more serious stories without the Black Label compulsion for violence and soft nudity? Sure. But I really would settle for a modern take on the Trinity free from the saddlebags of continuity.  

As a Batman guy, a Bruce without the mansion and the money is profoundly not interesting because that’s not Bruce Wayne. Sure, I might become attached to that character, but he’s fundamentally different, and I’ll have to get to know him before I get excited.

Now, Jason Aaron on a Superman book that I — noted moron — could pick up and read? Yeah, I’ll probably give that a shot. Assuming, that is, I can pick it up and understand what’s going on.

Rasmus: I’m with Matt. A nice long stretch of actual fun, heroic, hopeful stories in the DCU would be amazing. I know he has his detractors out there (and some of the feelings are valid), but with Mark Waid spearheading such a large portion of the line, I think we’ll get it. He has his faults, but he sure knows how to write superheroes being heroic.

But what I’m most excited for is Al Ewing finally doing DC books. He’s one of my favorite writers, and it was him being part of the Absolute Universe that got me excited for that initially. So whatever title he’s writing for that imprint is my most anticipated book. My second most anticipated book is his Metamorpho book with the wonderful Steve Lieber on art. A book that sounds like it’ll also be good, clean superhero fun.

Jeff Lemire on Absolute Flash also sounds very interesting, and I’m also still very much enjoying Simon Spurrier’s Flash.

Tony: I’m very interested in what’s next. Waid Superman and Justice League is exciting, even if it’s probably a decade too late. I’m hopeful about the Bat stuff. Even if I’m burned out on Zdarsky and Taylor, maybe this will be a shot in the arm for both. For the first time in ages, Darkseid actually feels like a serious threat, and not an overexposed “this guy again?” villain.

We’re going to start seeing it all this week, and I have hope upon hope it’s good.

Get It All Out

• Love the little touch that the DCU has an ad for Absolute Batman in front of it, while the Absolute Universe story has a Batman ad. Nice synergy there.
• We sadly didn’t talk much about it, but the art in this issue is stellar. Daniel Sampere hits all the right notes in the first half, both the quiet everyday moments, the bright, hopeful heroics and then the kickass, epic fight between the heroes and Darkseid. And the spread by Dan Mora is gorgeous, too (even if I don’t entirely know how to feel about Darkseid having his own Legion).
• Wes Craig’s art brings the Kirby Krackle you want in a Darkseid story, but you can tell he’s squeezing the gig in between drawing issues of his creator-owned series Kaya. It’s not sloppy by any stretch, but it definitely has a rushed feeling in places.
• Shout out to everyone involved for remembering that Eclipso and Darkseid play chess as established in the Eclipso ongoing co-written by Keith Giffen, who died just about a year ago now.
• The lettering being flipped upside down when Darkseid starts to seep into the DCU story matches the orientation of his lettering in the Absolute story, due to this being a flipbook. Very clever.
• The Dan Mora/Tamra Bonvillain center splash absolutely rules. The composition, the designs, the deep red palette, all of it.
• If you haven’t read it yet and are planning to physically, I suggest reading it in the way presented digitally: Justice League section, then Darkseid. It flows into each other better.

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