This issue wraps up this limited series that offers a short history lesson - but DC Universe Legacies doesn't as much end as run out of gas. The story written by Len Wein has been framed as a history as seen by a retired police officer who witnessed some of the key events in DC's past - and I've enjoyed that part of it.
Unfortunately, the framing device falls apart at the end, as it suddenly becomes a key factor for us to find out who Paul Lincoln has been telling this story to - and the answer ends up being rather depressing.
But perhaps that's fitting, because events in the DC Universe are pretty depressing by this point, as Sue Dibny is brutally murdered and the Omac invasion hits home.
The art by Scott Kolins, Jesus Saiz and Tom Derenick is solid and professional, though there's so much crammed into this issue that there's not much room for them to spread their wings.
Even the backup feature is depressing, as it focuses on the Silver Age Blue Beetle - there's no happy ending there, either (though it does feature nice art by Gary Frank).
As I've mentioned in previous reviews, I thought this was a terrific series, although the closer it got to modern times, the weaker my interest in it. So I look forward to the next project from Wein and the array of outstanding artists who have worked on this series, but I'm glad to see we're done here.
Grade: B
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4 comments:
Just finished slogging my way through the last issue. The series
was a capsule history of National/DC comics. The stories and characters began as something new and mysterious, quickly evolved into uplifting, inspiring adventurous fun, and after a second "golden" age in the
1960's, slowly and sadly slid into darkness, self-loathing and obscurity. (The general public doesn't even realize that comic books are still being published.)
Movies and games fill that void.
I was surprised to see this limited series published by DC at
all, and don't expect to see any
kind of follow-up. DC UNIVERSE: LEGACIES was a telling testament to a publisher that has lost its way.
Sam Kujava
Sam, sadly I must agree. I think this series perhaps distilled exactly where DC has too often gone wrong - by going with dark and dismal instead of heroic and inspiring. There's room for all kinds of stories, but when they all lean in one direction, it's not good for any company. Great comment!
I'm actually at the point now where I buy hardly anything new. I think Sam's summary says it well. I had big hopes for Brightest Day being the opposite of Darkest Night, but it's just as grim and dumb.
I might just start buying compilations or stop reading comics altogether. I'd save time and money.
(I'm almost exclusively a DC reader, and I did notice your blog has almost eliminated DC as well.)
Dwayne, I feel the same way about Brightest Day - I still hold out hope that it'll turn things around, but it's a faint hope.
You're right that I haven't been reviewing as many DC comics lately - a trend I only noticed myself recently. I always intended that this blog would be (more or less) evenly divided between Marvel and DC, with other companies represented as much as possible. But of late, I've been losing interest in the DC books I was buying: I got tired of waiting for the JLA to recover, the new look to Superman and Wonder Woman left me cold, and the JSA is hanging by a thread. If not for Green Lantern, Flash and the occasional mini-series (like Legacies), I might not be buying any DC at all. I basically buy and review the comics that interest me, so I guess that says a lot about the state of DC right now. Hopefully they'll turn things around soon.
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