Review: Darkseid Special #1

Quick Summary

Pros: The characterization of Darkseid is spot on and shows why he is such a great villain. The optimistic and adventurous nature of the book make it feel authentic to Jack Kirby’s legacy.

Cons: The story is somewhat generic and not great on its own.

Overall: This book is a wonderful highlight of one of the best villains in comic book history, Darkseid. It is an insightful look at what makes Darkseid so unique and touches on aspects of his personality that are often overlooked. Though the story itself is only alright, the personality in this comic is what makes it more than worth reading.

Story

If there is anyone who is more than capable of providing an honest tribute to Jack Kirby’s legacy it would be Mark Evanier. In this Darkseid Special story he takes one of Kirby’s greatest creations, Darkseid, and does something unique with him. He does not tell a gripping tale of Darkseid fighting an epic battle against powerful enemies. Instead, he tells a more personal story that details Darkseid’s biggest insecurity.

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The story here is fun to read but is not necessarily extremely exciting or special on its own. It follows three people who have managed to escape Darkseid’s grasp and are now running free on Apokolips. Darkseid’s minions hunt them down and are slowly able to capture two of them. The first is tortured and killed for information while the second is brought directly to the Lord of Apokolips himself. She accuses him of being afraid of his own subjects, something he reluctantly admits is true. Despite recording this whole conversation, she is unable to get the information to the public as Darkseid destroys her recorder. However, she is able to make it out alive and continues to fight the good fight for the people of the wasteland.

For the most part the story is alright. It is a somewhat generic tale but is still interesting in that it provides a look at the citizens of Apokolips, something readers do not often see. The only problem with it is that the ending is a too little on the nose. Darkseid is almost too complicit to the main character’s desires and his monologue lends itself too perfectly to her plan. However, it would be difficult to do more than this in just one issue so this small flaw is not overly negative.

The place in which the issue excels is its depiction of Darkseid. Here he is the cruel, uncaring warlord that comic fans have come to know. The scenes where he kills his henchman and first prisoner are particularly harsh and show the depths of Darkseid’s evil. Readers will instantly recognize the despot’s character after seeing him for mere pages.

This comic does not simply present Darkseid as a generic embodiment of evil though, he is still a victim of basic insecurities. Despite being the all-powerful ruler of a totalitarian planet, Darkseid is more afraid of losing control than anything else. This where Mark Evanier truly shines, as this is the comic’s true crowning achievement. He even goes so far as to say that Darkseid has nightmares of the day when his slaves cease to fear him. Modern interpretations of Darkseid often depict him as an emotionless being of pure destruction rather than a character with any real depth, so it is refreshing to see Evanier’s more authentic take on the Lord of Apokolips.

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Art

Scott Kolins’ artwork in this issue presents a harsh and almost disgusting look at life on Apokolips. It is gritty, real, and true to the nature of the story. Though there are occasions where the artwork doesn’t look the best, with character’s emotional expressions being the biggest example of this, the work still looks good overall. More importantly, it works well with the story and uses color and Kirby Krackle to make this issue feel like something that Kirby himself could have drawn.

Continuity

This is a one-shot comic that is relatively unrelated to the rest of the DC Universe. You don’t really need to have any knowledge about any specific characters in order to understand exactly what is happening in this comic. However, if you go into this with some knowledge of the New Gods then you may be able to enjoy the book slightly more. For more information on the New Gods we would suggest diving into The Fourth World by Jack Kirby Omnibus which is due in stores in the upcoming months