Writer: Mark Waid, Delilah S. Dawson, Dennis Culver
Art: Freddie Williams II, Jack Herbert, Adriano Lucas, Troy Peteri, and Gleb Melnikov
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $4.99
Release Date: November 23rd, 2022
As Pariah’s Dark Army continues its march around the globe, Damian Wayne thinks he’s got an answer as to why Pariah is able to control the most dangerous cosmic villains of the Multiverse—and he’s taking Red Canary and Dr. Light on the road to see if he’s right! Let’s dive into Dark Crisis: The Dark Army #1 as this thrilling Dark Crisis tie-in connects to the present and future of the DCU!
If you’re interested in this comic, series, related trades, or any of the others mentioned, then simply click on the title/link to snag a copy through Amazon as you read the Dark Crisis: The Dark Army #1 Review.
OVERVIEW
It appears as though the purpose of Dark Crisis: The Dark Army #1 was to provide readers with a side story that helps DC Comics develop a specific character that will turn the tide of this Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths. The intent was for Damian Wayne to take a team across the new infinite multiverse in order to find a way to break Pariah’s dark hold on these supervillains. However, before their multiversal hopping is complete, this quickly recruited band of heroes discovers a different, more rudimentary path to success while testing the waters of this newly upgraded hero in the process.
DISPATCH
What I instantly see is the choppy nature of the story. Sometimes, a comic needs a variety of artists and tones for specific sections in the story. However, when different writers are needed it doesn’t always work out very well, which was kind of the case in Dark Crisis: The Dark Army #1. Sure, the overall premise matched but it was extremely noticeable when the script changed almost as if the character’s voices changed along with it. However, for the most part, the art changed as well really throwing my mojo off while reading this adventure romp.
Additionally, the continued banter of Damian picking at Red Canary got incredibly old incredibly fast. It was almost as if the writers took the arrogant, ignorant aspects of the character and amplified it to eleven. The creative team found a trope and just continued to press making this reviewer begin to hate the new character as well as Damian. It was unnecessary and way over the top.
Furthermore, we all understand that Damian was trained by Batman AND is his son. Nevertheless, he’s a 14-year-old, 140 lbs boy. Why on Earth would this team of adults trust him? And why would they take his $&@$ throughout this entire comic? This boils down to believability… and Dark Crisis: The Dark Army #1 severely struggles in these two areas referenced above. Moreover, I struggled with the incorporation of this new legacy character Red Canary, as well as the purpose, attitude, and motivation. Frankly, it seemed incredibly forced to promote the character as well as the throwaway lines about Damian towards Batman Vs. Robin. But otherwise, she wasn’t needed in this comic for anything other than an annoying, verbal-sparing partner with Damian.
ART
As for the artistic appearance of Dark Crisis: The Dark Army #1, the script changes paralleled alongside the different artistic renderings helped with the choppy nature of the issue. Some moments had Red Canary and Damian looking like they were 12 while others had them come across as young adults. Plus, on specific pages, I could really see a substantial difference in the illustrations by Freddie E. Williams II. The characters had sharper edges, larger eyes, and less detail than the others. However, the other artists conveyed a more realistic tone that appealed more to this reviewer’s liking.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Dark Crisis: The Dark Army #1 has a purpose, which is to supercharge a character in order to break some of these villains from the darkness. From that standpoint, the issue succeeds. However, from a more logical perspective, I left scratching my head as to why and how Damian developed this plan, why any of these people involved felt like trusting him, why we need multiple writers and artists, and why over half the issue was bickering.
Fans get too much off-panel action, need-to-know story elements that readers aren’t even prevued to, and choppy tones and renderings that frequently threw this reviewer out of the story. Ultimately, it does its main goal. If you want to find out how the heroes will ”probably” free the villains from the darkness, this is how. Otherwise, you could probably just pop back into Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 and get the gist just fine without Dark Crisis: The Dark Army #1 or the next one-shot as well. Let me know what you think, have a great week, and God Bless!