Dark Crisis On Infinite Earths #6
The heroes of the Earth clash with Pariah and Deathstroke’s Dark Army as the Justice League makes their escape plan in Dark Crisis On Infinite Earths #6, by writer Joshua Williamson, artists Daniel Sampere and Rafa Sandoval, colorist Alejandro Sanchez, and letterer Troy Peteri. This is an all-out action extravaganza that builds the seeds for the final battle.
The issue switches back and forth between the battle at the Hall of Justice and Pariah’s base. As the Justice League and the Green Lantern get ready to make their move back home despite the consequences, the heroes of the Earth hold their own against the much larger Dark Army. Mr. Terrific and Jace Fox’s Batman figure out how to stop Pariah with his own anti-matter cannon as Wonder Girl uses her lasso to reveal the truth about what’s been going on between him and the Great Darkness to the villain. Jon Kent holds back the hordes of enemies, fighting valiantly against the most dangerous members of the Dark Army. Just as Doomsday is about to clobber him, Superman shows up and makes the save. The heroes get rid of Pariah, but the Great Darkness’s power finds another outlet, and the war continues.
Every Crisis has a big action issue, and this is that one. Williamson does an excellent job of capturing the gravitas of the battle and mixing it with plot. However, this one will definitely be divisive and really color the entire event for both current and future readers. Dark Crisis On Infinite Earths: Deadly Green revealed that the Great Darkness wasn’t behind what is going on in this book, and this chapter goes further with that. Sure, the Great Darkness is the power behind it, but Williamson basically said that about every major DC event. The Great Darkness is basically entropy, a force of death. It has no real personality, but it has a job to do, and that’s spread throughout existence.
This issue completes that twist by revealing that Pariah’s guilt and trauma basically drove him insane. The Great Darkness hasn’t been talking to him the whole time; he’s been talking to himself. This twist works very well. To begin with, it subverts the reader’s expectation of the Great Darkness being some malevolent force. It’s just a force trying to spread its influence because darkness spreads. Next, it works because of who Pariah is. The character witnessed the destruction of countless Earths as well as his own. He’s driven insane by it and taps into the Great Darkness because, like the others, he’s a means to an end. The way it subverts what readers thought this series was going to be makes it a lot more interesting in the long run. That said, there are people who never liked this comic and will like this twist even less. However, the way it recontextualizes the story makes it more intriguing than what people first thought it would be. Also, it was nice that the solution to Pariah was in the hands of the new Trinity - Jon, Jace, and Yara - with a Mister Terrific assist. They might never reach the heights of the old Trinity, but it was nice to see them get the save.
Sampere works from breakdowns by himself and with Sandoval, and it makes sense why he’d need the help. Sampere and Sandoval are both experts at creating awesome battle scenes, and this book is full of them. As usual, the detail is impeccable, the page layout is brilliant, and the action scenes have emotional heft to them, especially Jon’s stand. Sanchez’s colors are gorgeous, taking the art to the next level. The heroes are bright and shiny; the villains are dark and shadowed. He uses the colors to contrast the two sides, and it works so well. This is an issue that lived and died by the art, and it definitely delivered.
Dark Crisis On Infinite Earths #6 is fantastic, and that’s all there is to it. Williamson’s twist has made this a different story than what everyone thought, which is a great thing. Sampere, Sandoval, and Sanchez kill it on the art, something a book this action-heavy needs, and Peteri’s letters do a wonderful job of delivering the dialogue in the best way. This issue won’t win over the naysayers, but they’re missing out on an amazing comic.
