DARK CRISIS #2 / Script by JOSHUA WILLIAMSON/ Art by DANIEL SAMPERE/ Colors by ALEJANDRO SANCHEZ/ Letters by TOM NAPOLITANO/ Published by DC COMICS

Bad timing and illness prevented me from reviewing the first issue of Dark Crisis, but I enjoyed the first chapter immensely. I had, in truth, been dreading this series, because the title just smacked of laziness and it seemed like we already had at least two major events taking place at the same time. (That would be Flashpoint Beyond and Shadow War.) The last thing we needed was another Crisis, after the boondoggle that was Doomsday Clock playing out against the conclusion of Dark Knights: Metal and everything that spun out of Infinite Frontier.

Thankfully, Dark Crisis is everything the typical DC Comics event series is not. The script by Joshua Williamson keeps the focus firmly on the characters, despite the actual plot being a grandiose affair involving the Justice League disappearing and the next generation of heroes stepping up to take their place. This leads to this second chapter, in which Deathstroke leads an army of villains to strike at the new heart of heroism – Titans Tower – and enters into a one-on-one battle against Nightwing, as he fights to save his students.

The battle which follows is fantastic and well illustrated by Daniel Sampere. I’ve been a big fan of Sampere’s work for years and considered him one of the most underrated artists in DC Comics’ employ. I’m pleased to see him finally being given a chance to shine in a major series like this and his pencils and inks have never quite so good as they have coupled with the colors of Alejandro Sanchez.

Dark Crisis is a great comic. It is everything a crossover comic book event should be, with high stakes and bold artwork. Yet it defies the usual clichés by being more about people than cosmic doom and by not killing off C-listers by the dozens just to show that This Is A Serious Story and Things Will Never Be The Same Again. For the first time in a long while, that actually seems to be the case at DC Comics.