Review: Zero Hour 30th Anniversary Special #1
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writers: Dan Jurgens and Ron Marz
Art: Darryl Banks, Kelley Jones, Tom Grummett, Norm Rapmund, Jerry Ordway, Paul Pelletier, Howard Porter, Dan Jurgens, Brett Breeding
Colors: Alex Sinclair
Letters: Troy Peteri
Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd
Summary
Green Lantern Kyle Rayner gets shunted off to a familiar yet unfamiliar world. The mystery deepens when he discovers the fates of some of the world’s greatest heroes and those that he knew, like Donna Troy, don’t know him!
Positives
This story expertly plays with the notion of “status quo” both from a specific reference point as well as a general view of the DC Universe. It also utilizes nostalgia for a particular era. For those that remember, Zero Hour was a “Crisis in Time” that revamped DC Continuity back in1994. Zero Hour 30th Anniversary Special takes the reader back to those events. It’s a bit of a sequel, though not quite how one might expect. It ends up being a look at Kyle as a character. Kyle is the favorite Green Lantern of many readers and this comic leans into that fandom. It picks bits of Kyle history that his fans will know, and the story itself hinges on Kyle’s particular relationship with Donna Troy.
Marz and Jurgens know this era well, Jurgens was the writer of Zero Hour and Marz is Kyle’s co-creator and main writer. The art team is assembled from the comics of this era, too; Banks is Kyle’s other co-creator and Jerry Ordway inked Zero Hour. This all makes it feel like this comic is from another time itself. This is a good thing. It not only adds to the nostalgia aspect, but quite frankly, it’s a better comic than most comics of today. The storytelling and writing chops expose the weaknesses in many of today’s comics. Gail Simone is channeling some Bronze Age energy in her current Action Comics run. It’s nice to see the creative team bring back the feel of that era and relive some of the big moments of DC Comics of that time.
Positives Cont’d
Perhaps, the greatest achievement of Zero Hour 30th Anniversary Special is that even for readers unfamiliar with the original story, it is still accessible. Marz and Jurgens catch the reader up on what he/ she need to know and allow the story beats older readers are waiting for to be a shock/ surprise. These surprises are surprises because they play off of basic status quo of the DC Universe and are not necessarily tied to this era or event. Old readers know why Superman and Batman are not there, and unfamiliar readers get to experience this as the surprises of this particular universe.
There are too many details to mention, but both the writing and the art provide lots of gems that readers will connect with. Whether it’s the classic look of the Legion of Super-Heroes or some of the dialogue choices, there’s plenty of examples that demonstrate the excellence in this book! Combined with the plot thread of a universe going out of existence and the strong character bits, it has a similar energy to the masterpiece that is Crisis on Infinite Earths #11. It also shares some similar emotional beats. These are well placed in examining a timeline at the end of its existence.
Furthermore, this issue whets the appetite for an alternate timeline in which Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are gone… and others have to step up. This world has Barbara Gordon Batgirl, Supergirl and Donna Troy as the trinity. I’ve often wanted to see a similar situation with Supergirl, Nightwing and Donna Troy as the trinity. While this issue doesn’t quite give that, it does provide a taste of something similar, and it’s pretty darn interesting. DC needs to do this as an imprint Universe instead of the Absolute iterations that are coming in October.
Negatives
While this comic may not provide the deep psychological introspection of Watchmen, it is an excellent comic with few flaws. Nothing stands out as a negative in this issue.
Verdict
This is an anniversary issue that all readers who appreciate the DC Universe will enjoy. Jurgens and Marz craft a story and develop a feel in Zero Hour 30t Anniversary Special that take readers back to the time of the event, but also teases readers with a world with exciting possibilities. This issue is fun, entertaining and thought provoking. It’s hard to imagine this not being one of the best comics of the month!
