Originally published on Patreon
In issue four of Dark Crisis we saw Superman and Nightwing brought into the HQ of the JLD beneath the Hall of Justice, where we learned a bit about the Great Darkness, part of the threat facing the inhabitants of Earth-0.
This issue delves much deeper into that, as a kind of Dark Crisis 4.5 issue that sees a team trying to learn more about the Great Darkness. Using the magic within Allan Scott's ring, and the darkness that inhabits Obsidian, the two Swamp Things, John Constantine, Raven, and Superman, are sent into the ring to try and make contact with the Great Darkness.
This feels like something of a strange issue at times. Characters like Swamp Thing and Constantine feel much more adult at times, possibly due in part to their connection to the old Vertigo imprint that was designed for more mature readers. The books that they've featured in, such as Swampy's own title and Justice League Dark have often felt a little removed from the broader DC Universe, and whenever characters like Wonder Woman feature in them they tend to come across as a little different. As such, having Raven and Superman, two characters much more entrenched in the more 'capes and tights' part of the comics, makes this feel like an odd pairing at times.
That being said, the issue comes across well, and it's fun to see characters like Rachel and Jon doing more adult things, and in situations that we tend not to see them in. I also think the choice to fuse the two Swamp Things, but have Levi in control, and remove Constantine, seems to be putting the focus on the younger characters, the newer heroes, and those will less experience with this kind of thing.
The issue is extra sized, and it does feel it at times, with some of the stuff dragging at times. In comparison to the regular Dark Crisis title it moves a hell of a low slower, and I can see why the choice was made to not include this in the main series, but to give it its own issue.
Having read the latest issue of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths before this by mistake, you can get by without this, though the sudden appearance of Jon and his team with Pariah's machine does feel a bit out of nowhere without. But if you're looking for a complete picture of the series, and enjoy the mystical side of DC, this is a book that will entertain. Plus, Super Swamp Thing is pretty cool.
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