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The Follow up to the Apocalypse
The follow-up to Tom Taylor’s hit apocalypse story DCeased continues with DCeased Unkillables #1, the first installment of a three-issue miniseries. This is the unforgettable continuation to that story and what remains of the people who were left behind on earth amid the undead apocalypse.
Unkillables #1 follows Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke, and Jason Todd, aka Red Hood, in the early days of the anti-life equation’s attack on humanity.
The Story
Deathstroke realizes that something very bad has happened on Day One and he knows that this is not part of the job he was hired to carry out. The house full of thoughtless, bloodthirsty monsters catches him off guard. The virus tries to take hold of him but Slade’s unique anatomy keeps him safe. By Day Two he sees that whatever is happening is bigger than he ever imagined, and his immediate thought is to seek out his daughter Rose.
Meanwhile, Jason Todd arrives at Wayne Manor to a shocking sight: Batman, Nightwing and Robin (Tim Drake) are dead in Batcave. Jason wasn’t expecting this, because Batman prepares for everything. He does find Ace, though, and after he buries his family he sets out to find the only other members of the Bat Family (other than Damian and Alfred, who are in Metropolis) that are still alive: Cassandra Cain and Jim Gordon.
From there, both Slade and Jason set out to make sense of what has happened.
Ball’s Pyramid
After Slade finds Rose, Mirror Master finds them and transports them to Ball’s Pyramid, a remote island where Vandal Savage has built his own safe haven for a group of supervillains who have managed to survive.
Savage has a survival plan, but it revolves around building a new world after the heroes fail to save it.
The Orphanage
After Jason, Gordon, Cassandra and Ace find Barbara (and the Joker, who becomes a hood ornament), they find themselves in Bludhaven where the undead have surrounded a building. Upon investigation they find that it’s actually an orphanage and the kids are trying to fortify the place against the undead.
For a group of heroes without a home, protecting the orphanage becomes the most important mission of all.
Tom Taylor Delivers
DCeased Unkillables #1 is non-stop action, but there are so many touching moments and moments of levity tucked into every nook and cranny. There’s a humanity to Taylor’s apocalypse that makes it more than a story about the undead. This is a story about survival.
Taylor might be really good at killing off beloved characters but he is also very adept at giving fans beautifully poignant moments. Jason takes time to bury his family, carving out gravestones for his adopted father and brothers, and Jim Gordon realizes just how much Batman cared about him.
There are also some incredibly funny moments. Jason’s hood ornament, for example, is sadistic but hilarious. The Creeper’s quest to market “tree lobsters” will make you laugh out loud. (Though we suspect Vandal Savage might be rethinking the decision to include him in his group of survivors)
Unkillables marks penciller Karl Mostert’s debut at DC Comics. His style is a perfect fit for Taylor’s story. He can draw undead carnage like no other. I’m really looking forward to seeing what he does with the rest of the miniseries.
This is one series that is an automatic must-buy, must-read. Unkillables #1 is an instant classic and it’s one hell of a fun ride.