Sometimes, the dead walk… but when you’re really unlucky, the dead can FLY. Your Major Spoilers review of DCeased: The Unkillables #3 from DC Comics awaits!

DCEASED: THE UNKILLABLES #3

Writer: Tom Taylor
Penciler: Karl Mostert
Inker: rrevor Scott, Neil Edwards & Mostert
Colorist: Rex Lokus
Letterer: Saida Temofonte
Editor:Ben Abernathy
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: May 20, 2020

Previously in DCeased: The Unkillables: Heroes and villains collide with one epic purpose: to escape the coming of the infected population of Gotham City and a monstrous Wonder Woman! It’s time to ride the fury road one final time… to survival!

HELL COMES TO THE ORPHANAGE

We open immediately after Bane (who until last issue was one of the protectors of an orphanage full of children, along with Mirror Master, Lady Shiva, The Creeper, Solomon Grundy, Deathstroke, Red Hood, Cheetah, Cassandra Cain, Rose Wilson, Commissioner Gordon and others) having turned undead under the power of the Anti-Life Equation. He is dangerous and powerful, but no match for Solomon Grundy, who not only defeats him, but rips his entire head off. It’s… pretty satisfying, actually. Gordon realizes that the kids are no longer safe, and convinces Jason Todd that they have to get the children to The Garden, Poison Ivy’s sanctuary in the middle of Gotham City. Thus, a caravan of schoolbuses, led by The Batmobile sets off across a zombie-laden Gotham in the hopes of saving as many lives as possible. The arrival of a zombified Mirror Master, also killed last ish, costs them a few children but Cheetah manages to bring him down.

And then, Wonder Woman arrives…

PEOPLE SEEM TO LOVE THE ZOMBIES

There’s something really satisfying about this issue for me that the main DCeased title never quite achieved, and I think that it’s the fact that this ragtag group of anti-heroes and villains actually feel like they’re the underdogs against a horde of zombies. The reveal that one of the kids has a secret that can help against Wonder Woman is perfectly handled, and the odd camaraderie between the group is really worth the price of admision all by itself. The Creeper and Grundy have a moment before they set out on a clearly deadly battle feels very much like a Butch and Sundance moment, and we get to see both Lady Shiva and Deathstroke finally deal with their children emotionally before sacrificing themselves to save as many children as possible. The art is likewise well-suited to apocalyptic events, reminding me a bit of Frank Quitely’s work, but delivering on the shocking moments without going overboard into Herschell Gordon Lewis territory. I appreciaste the fact that, even though several kids are taken and presumably killed in these pages, there’s just enough ambiguity that I don’t feel like I’m meant to revel in the blood and gore of it all.

BOTTOM LINE: BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL

After reading this issue, I went back and devoured the first two, and I have to say that it’s actually better than the series it spins out from. DCeased: The Unkillables #3 makes a lie of the title in the first couple of pages, but embraces the things you need to have for a successful zombie story, even giving (some of) the cast an ending that you could almost call happy, with surprises in plot and some wonderful emotional bits earning a well-deserved 4 out of 4 stars overall. I’m not saying I want a Grundy/Creeper ongoing series, but I’d love to see more of this kind of storyteling from Taylor, Mostert and company.

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