DC’s latest event promises big things, and issue #1 is certainly ambitious. So, does it kick off in style or stall at the starting line?
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Slight spoilers for Dark Days The Forge #1 incoming, so if you haven’t read it yet you’ve been warned.
DC said this series would span generations, and on that promise, they deliver in a big way. The first issue does not lack in ambition, telling a story that starts from mankind’s early days but is quickly spanning universes.
Typically this sort of story line might be a bit hard to follow, especially once you start including alternate universes and alien technology. Despite those odds, James T Tynion IV and Scott Snyder manage to deftly keep you in the dark while throwing out just enough breadcrumbs to help you follow the main throughline.
Won’t be giving away any spoilers here, but Snyder and Tynion IV reach into the way back machine and bring back something that Crisis fans will readily recognize, and it will likely have a massive effect on the state of the multiverse. That alone is noteworthy, but the team also packs a pleasant surprise about midway through that should make more than a few fans happy.
As someone who loves the idea of Hawkman but seldom the execution, The Forge was a lovely surprise. The central mystery at play here has the opportunity to delve into untapped potential for not only Hawkman and Hawkgirl but the entire Thanagarian legacy. Nth metal is something you always just accept, but what if there was more to it than that?
That’s the question Dark Days The Forge braves to ask, and there’s plenty of potential in the answer.
The only negative is also a positive in some respects, as the art line-up is made up of talented pencillers like Jim Lee, Andy Kubert, and John Romita Jr. The only problem is their styles don’t always mesh from panel to panel, especially since they rotate not only pages but also scenarios.
For instance, Green Lantern and Duke are together for certain parts of the story. You would think that the art team on that section would remain constant, just to help keep an even flow. That’s not the case though, so there’s a Jim Lee Green Lantern Duke Section at the beginning, a John Romita Jr. section in the middle, and then back to Lee again towards the end. It would have been better served to keep those all with one artist.
Still, as an event launch and a promise of things to come, Dark Days: The Forge hits far more than it misses, and surpassed all expectations.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Dark Days: The Forge #1 is written by James T Tynion IV and Scott Snyder with art by Jim Lee, John Romita Jr., and Andy Kubert, along with several others. Variant covers are provided by Romita Jr. and Kubert. The official description is listed below.
DARKNESS COMES TO THE DC UNIVERSE WITH THE MYSTERY OF THE FORGE! Aquaman, The Flash and more of DC’s pantheon of heroes suspect Batman of hiding a dark secret that could threaten the very existence of the multiverse! It’s an epic that will span generations—but how does it connect to the origins of one of DC’s most legendary heroes?
The great comics event of summer 2017 is about to begin courtesy of superstar writers Scott Snyder and James Tynion III and illustrated by a master class of comics artists: Andy Kubert, Jim Lee and John Romita Jr.! You do not want to miss this one!
MORE COMICS: Dark Days: The Forge Teases A New Crisis At DC / What Is The Metal In The Forge? / SPOILER Returns In Dark Days: The Forge #1
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