I'll be the first to admit my Marvel Event fatigue, but I'd be lying if a said this event hasn't been good. Gillen's work was great in Eternals and continues here and his particular combination of whimsical, engaging characters, high stakes and personal pathos is a win.

Some inevitable use of tropes aside (oh, what do you mean we weren't serious when we blew everythign up?), this was a perfect ending to one of the better events Marvel has given us in a while, probably my favorite since Secret Wars. Is big yet feels personal, action packed yet quiet and contemplative. Yep, a Marvel.

One of the better uses of Lex Luthor in years and a pretty intriguing story on its own. Perfect, I also take a single point because I believe the artwork need consistency (this series seems to change artist relentlessly, and it's bothersome).

Pretty intriguing start. While I do think the pacing looks a tiny bit slow, Ram V surely knows how to put you in a mood for horror.

When I'm reading a comic, I generally judge by asking myself: What does this want to be and, is it doing it well? The pacing, dialogue, artowrk... All contribute to that. This wanted to be a wholesome, feel-good issue, and it delivered perfectly.

This continues to be probably the best "classic" superheroic you can find right now.

Pretty good start to the series. The characters are interesting and so is the setting. Taylor's writing is snappy and fast-paced as always. The Best: The artwork by Yasmine Putri is simply delightful, both pencils and colors, and brings this to life. The Worst: There's a twist at the end with Bruce that feels a little weak.

The story is advancing at a good pace, but I feel like because these are mostly original characters (even if they resemble characters we know), we need to spend a bit more with them before the twist happened (hence why a certain character's death feels a bit hollow). I predict a twist with Zala. Yasmine's artwork is great as always.

Weakest issue by far. Bruce being Clark's secret brother isn't that interesting at the moment and him having Kryptonian superpowers feels cheap. But the worst thing in this issue and the entire series is the Green Man reveal. When you are writing a twist you need to give the audience some clues as to what the reveal might be. Nobody could have expected the Green Man to be a Luthor/Joker/Green Lantern composite because that's not a thing, it's never been suggested this was going be a thing in the prior issues so the "reveal", if it can be called that, falls flat on its face. And yet it simultaneously turns the story into another trite "mega-Joker" tale. I'm still interested on where this goes, though I'll admit this reveal makes makes the whole thing less interesting. Bengal's art is good. I think the problems people have with this artwork come from the fact that Bengal's pencils are a little more cartoony than Putri's but because the colorist tries to imitate the semi-realistic painting style of the prior issues, it clashes. I think it would have been better if Bengal had been allowed to do the colors as well, even if it clashed with the rest of the issues (it's a flashback, so it's not like consisitency is that important).

Taylor keeps throwing in characters and plot points when we barely know anything about the existing ones, which makes for a dull read. Also, not a fan of Chosen One Batman having Superman's powers and absorbing his role in the backstory with the Kents, to be honest, talk about a fantasy series cliché.

I'm afraid the series is pretty lost. Taylor pacing for this story is sadly, well, bad. Really bad. When you need to put the same narrative trick (and now, an evil counterpart of the Superman family will reveal themselves to be evil) four times in a row in, with literally no alteration, in the span of whopping 8 issues to advance your plot maybe you just don't have enough story for twelve issues. Which is a shame because other parts of the setting could and should use that panel time, TT's worldbuilding is pretty barebones and his characters are held hostage by the plot that needs you to not know them too much. The Green Man still feels like a pretty weak antagonist and the conflict lacks that personal touch you need in a war story. I hope Taylor's next twist isn't what everybody thinks it is (imposters). It's a shame because when this story started, it seemed to have some promise, but even beyond some writing choices (which can be a bit more subjective) the storytelling skills just aren't there, I'm afraid this plot isn't really salvageable at this point but maybe that's just me. Putri's artwork continues to be top notch, though.

Ooof. This was... Rough. I generally don't like to be negative (specially because started lining this series) but this reveal felt simultaneously too predictable (many people had figured out that the prophecy involved imposters, hence the "they'll look like us") and completely disconnected from the narrative this story was *seemingly* presenting. Spoilers ahead: It was aliens. The war has really little to do with any of the factions involved, they're being impersonated by aliens. Which to me, feels like the biggest cop-out ever. Now, having a *third* faction of shapeshifters involved in the plot isn't bad, what is bad is the fact that they remove almost all culpability from any of the Houses (you know, the people we're actually following in this plot). The bad thing is that they are non-characters we haven't really followed. The bad thing is that they've prevented characters like Kal or Zala from having anything but the most barebones characterization for a whopping 9 issues (for fear of revealing that there were imposters involved too early). They are Taylor's built-in excuse to have "shocking" deaths ala Game of Thrones, but without any of the gravity that comes with it. I now get what Taylor wants from this book. He wants a book he gets to write "And now Batman rides a f*cking dragon! Awesome!" which can be cool, but for some reason he craves the supposed "respectability" that comes with more serious fantasy with morally grey characers (which isn't necessary tbh), and his solution to have them both was to pull this Scooby-Doo level twist. Also, I'm still not a fan of the severe Batman-favoritism this series has.

Pretty good start. The twist at the end was wild and makes the issue work better on re-read. I like how it combines bloody brutality with a healthy dose of humour.

After a couple of what were to me weak issues this one hooked me completely. Loved the misdirection and paranoia and how all the plots are starting to converge. Batman and Green Arrow think they'e got things figured out but can't be sure, Oliver missing Hal's heart is a highlight and while I didn't really like how WW was turned into a vampire she's a delightful villain in this issue and loved who she takes Bruce down a peg. Both artists do a good job, Di Meo takes clues from over-the-top blockbuster stuff which works well for the SS parts and Schmidt nails the claustrophobic-yet-colorful parts of the Batcave. Snappy-dialogue, entertaining characters, misdirection, creative action and a horror-movie vibe is exactly what this series needs to be. Also. Kryptonite Breath Attack. But please no Joker King, that's be just terrible (in the bad way). Hopefully that's just misdirection.

Yeah, I'm loving this series. I'm loving the suspense of genuinely not knowing how they're getting out of this (if they do). I love the little dramatic moments between heroes and villains (like Kara when she's told Superman is among the horde) plus I love that plot points character motivations aren't hammered into as yet make perfect sense, like Barbara wanting to go after Grayson for mostly personal reasons but disguising it as a pragmatic motive or Harley being experimented by human sueprvillains (and swearing revenge) instead of being captured by vamps. Plus the tone, it switches seamlessly from tense and horrific moments (like the ambush), to black comedy (Plastic Man is as hilarious as vampire as he was in life and seeing WW still having this dry-yet-diplomatic sense of humour while she comes after her foes is pretty funny) to heartelt moments (like Jayna and Bones, plus Bones' death) without one being detrimental to the tohers like in many other series.

I'm loving this series and I really liked this issue. I specially like, that despite being in essence an issue where we stop and take a look at our characers before they start their respective journeys (so basically a setup chapter) it still manages to maintain the tension and the sense of dread that they may not come out of this. I love they're setting up some internal conflict in this super-high stakes world-ending situation as well, though perhaps that's just me. If I had a complain, is that I think that fill-in art is not up to the task. I don't need main artist to draw the whole thing because I know sometimes the realities of comic book publishing get in the way, but they need someone with a style that's a bit more compatible to be honest.

At this point, I'm probably repeating myself, but I loved this issue. It's a testament of the writers' skill (a surprisngly good combo, personally) that this issue is mostly told through action scenes yet it still manages to keep what makes the series so engaging. Suspense, black comedy, genuinely good twists and reveals (oh, that Black Manta moment was really well done) and the little character moments (Steel and Kara, Green Arrow and Grifter (!), Aquaman pausing for a second when he sees you-know-who *and* that you-know-who answering exactly how you'd expect). Supergirl is probably the best addition to this second half, because I'm really invested in her fight. She's probably the most traditional superhero left in the setting and I love how she's still fighting for their friends souls (not just to win). The writers have managed to capture her earnestness and personality in a way that makes perfect sense for this setting and actually enriches it with the contrast. Kudos. Oh, and I loved that little cliffhanger with her. That last moment in the ocean was haunting.

We're nearing the endgame and everything seems to be in its place. Green Arrow's part was surprisngly sentimental (and the ST bit hilarious - We will never speak of it again). Barbara wants to win while keeping her humanity, something I'm not sure will be possible (and her plan was pretty cool as well). Damian simply wants to win. Supergirl, Steel and Jayna continue bringing the most humane part to this Elseworld. Can't wait to see how it resolves. Really like that the focus is on 3 small, personal stories despite the high stakes setting.

This is literally the eleventh hour and it works great, in the Gotham story, the action ramps up, but the twists and turns keep coming up and Barbara's team will have to face Nightwing. Green Arrow's story is a bit more low-stakes, yet it looks like it's the one carrying more hope. And Kara and her team finally manage to reach the much needed sunlight, but there's a last minute cliffhanger! And I've been loving the beats alogn the way. Kara is great, and so are Jayna, Steel, Barbara, Dinah, Damina, Ollie... And it's always a delight when they have to face the vampire antagonists, I find their smug yet grounded ("it's what it is") attitude to be very entertaining and a good break of the generally sour alternate evil versions of these characters. At this point, the story can end in so many different compelling ways it'd be impossible for me to guess. Do they win, do they get turned, a bit of both? I'm going to miss this series when it ends next month.

And so comes the conclusion to this fun, scary, tear-jerking and overall bizarre (in a good way) series. First a note: Vampire Wonder Woman is awesome and I want to see more of her (and her doing her own thing beyond jsut popping up in other characters' plot). And I say this as someone who despises the other evil versions of the character. Oliver's part is probably the most action-based, and he ends managing to do what he does best: help normal people. After this sucess, though, it's possible he may not be able to go back to his loved ones (see below). Kara's part provides the hope necessary for this not go go completely dark. Against all odds (and after the cruel cliffhanger of the last issue) and with a ticking clock, she's back and ready to save as many people as she can't. And Barbara's part was... Great. Back in October I mentioned that she was trying to win while keeping her humanity. SPOILERS, she doesn't get to. I loved that back-and-forth in the Tower, I loved Nightwing in this. I loved how normal he made everythign feel ("Babs honey, I gotta drink people") and how their conversation is basically him trying every trick in the book to make himself more vulnerable and reasonable than he is. And yet, I can almost feel there was some sincerity in what he was saying. And the best thing about it is that... It doesn't completely work in his favour. Yes, Barbara can't bring himself to kill him. Same as Batman or Constantine, or even Green Arrow at first. It's more difficult when these people are so reconizable (instead of feral or "just possessed"). But in this series, vampires are left with the negative and selfish desires of a person, so after being vamped, turns out Babs had other priorities. All other characters were telling the Batfam (Babs, Damian, Steph...) that killing Nightwing wouldn't have that helpful because someone else would take his place, and to do so with this kind of ironic twist ending was great. Will Supergirl manage to change the setting now that she's got her powers or do the vampries have a countermeasure now that Barbara, who was a leader of the resistance, is elading them? What happens to the Batgirls, or Dinah, who were last seen surrounded and exhausted, and now their best friend and leader may want them by her side? Do Black Canary and Green Arrow end in different teams? I want this to go on...

So uh, I loved this one. It may not be as high-octane as the main series but I really, really like when stories just go a bit quieter and we see characters in low-stakes conflicts in interesting Elseworlds, provided the writing is interesting (and I thought it was here tbh). Harley Quinn can often be an annoying character, but I though she was pretty well written here, and I like she's still morally grey. Really like that the vampires aren't treated as "super-zombies" and are still characters with their own interests instead of drones. Mr. Terrific had a better use here than in the other one-shot and when he said Gordon was staying it felt pretty scary. The twist of [redacted] being a vampire already was well done and made sense given the character and still wanting to protect Harley (provided you accept vampires in this series tend to lose their morality except when it comes to those close to them) and I really like they're still keeping a mystery who is turned and who is not which is pretty fun to be honest. The issue doesn't try to do too much, which may be a minus to some, but what it does it does well and doesn't feel too slow or too rushed.

First of all, that backup was awesome. I’m still reserving my judgement to see how it continues but I really liked what I saw. If this series gets continued/expanded I hope Emma Vieceli and Haining can contribute more, because in only 8 pages they gave us intrigue, humour and even cool lore, something that is pretty difficult to do without it feeling forced. She also gets Nightwing’s voice pretty well. Pretty perfect really. But the main story was stronger than in the first issue too. I didn’t love that issue but the writing here seemed stronger when it came to the heroic characters. Talia and Alfred are a duo that work surprisingly well, I really liked that Mary is basically in a normal adventure comic when everybody else is in a horror comic, I’m at least somewhat intrigued with what they’re doing with Azrael and Constatine scheming was entertaining. Also, someone give Booster Gold a hug. It seems we're going to get a bit more of an intriguing plot with the Lazarus Pits, Deadman and an antagonist that seemingly has Billy on his grasp. I wonder perhaps Mary manages to turn back into the light somehow. Now to the negatives: I think this spin-off right now doesn’t quite know how to portray the vampire antagonists. The main series has a pretty solid grasp on how the vampires behave and keeps things personal to raise the stakes, it also gives them more stuff to do than just be evil and they feel overall like more balanced antagonists, while in here they just seem to appear for battle scenes (as of right now, let's see what they do with Billy for example). Like, Wonder Woman was just there apparently for take-out but then why bring an horde of nameless mooks with her if she only wanted to eat? Wouldn’t they be competition? Why not have her infiltrate the compound instead? It feels like this spin-off wants action scenes for the sake of having action and it can hurt the narrative, something I feel the main series has mostly avoided by keeping the action personal and/or to very few clinical moments (even in the post-apocalyptic chapters). It doesn’t help that Pasquale Qualano’s art, which is impeccable otherwise, suffers a lot when it comes to depicting chaotic slaughterfest action. But the rest was pretty good and an improvement over the first issue. Also the backup was perfect so I’m giving this a high mark.

First of all, please DC, continue that Nightwing prequel story with the same creative team because wow! That backup was excellent, both Vieceli’s writing and Haining’s art. I loved that, despite how short it was (reading both parts) everyone was in-character, the betrayal hit hard and it was presented with a good level of intrigue. I want to see how Nightwing becomes the new King and starts his infiltration of the super-hero community while the other heroes are non the wiser, it’d be a great contrast to the first part of the story and we could see some characters that aren’t players in the main line (because they haven’t appeared or have been killed off). But the rest was good too! I really liked the “apocalyptic fairy tale” vibes (dark forests, a haunted castle, castle, a captured princess and a group of evil knights…) this issue went for and I hope they continue with them. The story is picking up pace and I’m at least midly intrigued on who Baron Cinder is, he was also portrayed in a more interesting way tan the other vampires in this spin-off. If I have done complain is that there’s a scene between Deathstroke and another character where they are presented as friends that felt too out of character (as neither Deathstroke seems the friendly, protective sort nor is the situation presented in a way that would make two sowrn enemies behave like that) and admittedly took me out of the story.

The main story is getting better, but it feels very decompressed, hope it can stick the landing and be a stronger read when put together. The artwork also flip-flops between absolutely breathtaking amazing pages and pages that are pretty messy in terms of panel reading.

Another good one. This side-story has been steadingly getting better with each and every issue that passes. Mary Marvel continues to be, by far, the most interesting character in this story and putting her fun and innocent (yet mature whenever necessary) personality in contrast with the horror story backdrop works very, very well. And the best part is that it does so in ways that earn its cliffhangers and are creative and not easy to predict thatnks to going for smaller, more personal stakes. Hopefully, the ending is similarly creative. The backup is pretty good as always. Admittedly, I'm not very well versed on the characters (other than Apollo, and that's because I read him alongside Midnighter), but the story does enough to tell you who they are and why their characteristics are special, gives a couple of hitns of how the story might end and ends on a pretty hopeful note (for the Elseworld in general) all things considered. The artwork is amazing and I wanting Haining to do more for this series because she's a pro at depicting this world.

Gorgeous and heartfelt, I didn't want this issue to end.

I enjoyed the vibes but it kidna felt liek the writer just wanted to get rid of this story.

While I thought the story was losing some steam, I thought that cliffhanger was awesome.

An intriguing start to the new story arc, I have to say, Melinkov's artwork works surprisingly well with the tone of the story.