It would appear DC Comics has at last looked in the mirror and recognized its own internal darkness, much like an edgy teen after they get their first listen at some rock music. Yes, DC Comics – or Hal Jordan, at least – has owned up to its own consistently dark content in the recent Green Lantern: Blackstars #2.
With plots like the ones in “The Infected,” a recent crossover event that follows infected, villainous versions of classic DC heroes Shazam!, Donna Troy, Supergirl, Hawkman, Jim Gordon, and Blue Beetle, and the entire Batman Who Laughs storyline, DC is consistently pushing the envelope on how twisted they can make their characters. Now, Blackstars writer Grant Morrison has his version of Superman lament about what the Justice League has had to face in recent years, saying, “Every month it seems these hyper-creatures, or their close relatives, attack from some hitherto unsuspected, barely-thought-out region of this new Depressoverse scientists have discovered.”
“Depressoverse” isn’t too far off. DC has not shied away from dark or sad content at any point in the past few decades, but it has offered particularly dark plots as of late. The Batman Who Laughs’ own Batcave is beneath where Bruce Wayne’s parents were killed, for crying out loud. In December alone, Tales from the Dark Multiverse: The Judas Contract #1, several “Year of the Villain” issues, and a Suicide Squad series called DCU’s “bloodiest series yet” are some of the first-listed and most anticipated titles coming to shelves. Recently, the DCeased series concluded, revolving around a zombie horror plot affecting the Justice League. The gore-filled series received a dramatic trailer recently that only further embraced DC’s adoration for gruesome and dark plots.
DC has recently been defined by darkness even off the pages of their comic books. This year’s R-rated Joker film further pushed how dark DC’s film characters could get in a way that Marvel doesn’t with their films (but Baby Groot is more family-friendly to watch than a murderous clown, in many ways, so we understand). With infamous lines like, “Tell me…do you bleed?” from Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, even those who don’t pick up comic books and instead head to the movies would still recognize DC by its edginess.
Superman’s direct addressing of this tendency, however, could be a sign for change to come. If even the Justice League is tired of the “Depressoverse,” there might be some sunshine peeping through the clouds for a more lighthearted series on the horizon or, perhaps, just a series in which “carnage” isn’t the top priority. Nonetheless, fans seem to flock to the titles that do bring the darkness, such as the bestselling DCeased series, so this could simply be Superman taking note of the aesthetic that’s defining DC’s current releases.
Green Lantern: Blackstars #2 will arrive in your local comic book shop December 4th, 2019.
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