Review: Crime Syndicate #1
Writer: Andy Schmidt
Artists: Kieran McKeown, Bryan Hitch, and Dexter Vines
Colors: Steve Oliff and Alex Sinclair
Letters: Rob Leigh
Reviewer: Tony Farina
Summary
Spinning out of Dark Nights: Death Metal, the Multiverse is reborn—and Earth-3 with it! In this six-issue miniseries, witness the true origins of the malevolent makers of mayhem known as the Crime Syndicate as a common foe unites them! But how long can alliances last between villains like these?
Also in this issue, it’s the origin of Ultraman in our special backup story drawn by superstar artist Bryan Hitch!
Positives
Where to begin? Crime Syndicate #1 is so damn good. I read it twice in a row just because I was so blown away by it. The back up story where we see how Ultraman’s origin story was spectacular. The meta commentary is spot on. Zach Snyder is a renowned Objectivist and his Randian fingerprints are all over the speech Pa Kent gives in Man of Steel. Schmidt decides to take it out to it’s logical conclusion. He makes a scathing commentary on those choices AND makes a better version of Brightburn in just a few pages. It. Is. Brilliant.
The entire art team in the front and back stories are heroes in a world of villains. On my second read, I lingered on some of the backgrounds and simply had a ball. Make sure you take your time with this. You will thank me.
Things are so bad on Earth-3 that at one point someone wishes for a return to 2020. Milk out the nose funny. Then, later, there is a stand off between Clark and Cat Grant. The term Fake News is bandied about. Maybe a bit too on the nose, but well placed
Negatives
Nothing to see here. I adore everything about Crime Syndicate #1There are a lot of inside jokes for old school nerds so this may not be for everyone.
Verdict
DC has made a book that has come bursting out of the re-figured multiverse and hits me in the perfect spot. Meta, thought provoking and full of alternate history. It is so funny, smart and expertly drawn. I love a good Elseworlds tale and this one, is actually in canon. How fun is that? Pay attention to this mini series because I predict it will be such a hit that it will become a monthly.
