Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #1

Writer: James Tynion IV Artist: Steve Epting Publisher: DC Comics Release Date: December 18, 2019 Cover Price: $4.99 Critic Reviews: 11 User Reviews: 32
7.7Critic Rating
7.2User Rating

DC's "Year of the Villain" begins its sinister conclusion! Lex Luthor has brought Perpetua back from her cosmic grave and restored her power! Now the Multiverse lives in fear that she might wipe out all existence. The only thing that could stop her are the forces of the Dark Multiverse- which means it's Luthor's mission to defeat the Batman Who Laughs! But if Batman and Superman couldn't stop him, what chance does Luthor stand? Spinning out of the end of the "Justice/ Doom War" in Justice League #38 and the conclusion of the epic "Infected" arc from Batman/Superman #5, DC's two top villains face off in a battle royal-and the fate of all reali more

  • 8.5
    Geek Dad - Ray Goldfield Dec 18, 2019

    For a four issue miniseries, I might have wanted the main story to move a little faster in the first issue. But Tynion writes the Batman who Laughs like few others, and it feels like this has been a showdown years in the making. My money's on the bad guy with the Bat-brain. Read Full Review

  • 8.3
    Comic Watch - Matt Meyer Dec 30, 2019

    I was more than prepared to groan and roll my eyes at this comic; after all, both the Year of the Villain and the BWL's general presence have kind of overstayed their welcome (seriously overstayed its welcome in the BWL's case). But this was a surprisingly fun and engaging comic. With no clear protagonist to root for, all readers can do is buckle in and enjoy the carnage! Read Full Review

  • 8.0
    Dark Knight News - Bryant Lucas Dec 24, 2019

    Final Verdict: If you've been followingMetalandJustice League,you are definitely going to want to pick this up. Read Full Review

  • 8.0
    ComicBook.com - Adam Barnhardt Dec 18, 2019

    No gimmicks, no unreasonable cliffhangers"this book is exactly what it needs to be for a first issue. Read Full Review

  • 8.0
    Lyles Movie Files - Jeffrey Lyles Dec 18, 2019

    As Year of the Villain winds down this is a good entry point to the final act. Read Full Review

  • 8.0
    Multiversity Comics - Gregory Ellner Dec 23, 2019

    These are two evil leagues of evil that you should be watching, so beware. Read Full Review

  • 8.0
    Forces Of Geek - Lenny Schwartz Dec 23, 2019

    I am not the biggest fan of Tynion. He just takes forever to tell a story. But I am a huge fan of Epting. He is great and does magnificent work here. It is not a bad book overall. I am glad they put some setup in the story. Now it is definitely time to give us some action. Read Full Review

  • 7.0
    You Don't Read Comics - Jason A. Fleece Dec 21, 2019

    For its first issue, at least, Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen seems to be almost entirely unnecessary. Worse than that, its pretty dull as well. Unluckily for us, there are three more issues left. Read Full Review

  • 7.0
    Weird Science - Jim Werner Dec 18, 2019

    James Tynion sets up the big Year of the Villain finale and while I like where it is going, it is odd that so many pieces have to be forced in to get there.  Some really big things just happen with little or no explanation and while that may come down the line, it's nowhere to be found here.  Once you get past that, however, the interactions between Lex and the Batman Who Laughs are good enough to keep me coming back for more. Read Full Review

  • 7.0
    But Why Tho? - Charles Hartford Dec 18, 2019

    With a solid amount of story to pull together from a variety of places Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #1 does its best to keep things running smoothly. Which, to this end, it mostly succeeds. If the story can get its momentum going from here and deliver the full showdown the premise promises, this could be a great series. Read Full Review

  • 7.0
    Comics: The Gathering - Olivier Roth Dec 18, 2019

    The art team of Epting and Filardi do a great job throughout the issue. Epting is a veteran of the comic book scene and continues to offer up some excellent pencil and ink work. I’ve always enjoyed his grittier takes on superhero comics, and he brings that flair to this issue. I enjoyed Filardi’s colors for the most part, but at times they do come off a little lifeless, especially in the Luthor scenes. I’m not sure if it’s because they don’t mesh as well with Epting’s heavier ink work, but it does seem a little off at points. Read Full Review

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