DC is making a big move with the introduction of the Absolute Universe and we here at Batman News thought we’d follow suit by gathering as many reviewers as possible together to discuss the All-In Special! This review/discussion will be split up into five sections and the six of us (including a special appearance from the recently retired Casper Rudolph) had a lot to say on the contents of this comic so let’s get right into it!
All-In as a Multiverse Event
Jackson: All In clearly has a lot of callbacks to previous events and wants to frame itself as a culmination to all of them (when are they not?). You’ve got DC’s favorite number “52” used a few times, the reverse Omega-Alpha structure that pops up from time to time, and a lot of follow-up to the events of Dark Knights: Death Metal. There’s also that double-page spread that lays out all of the events that have happened during DC’s “Dawn of DC” era. In fact, when you lay it all out like that, it really highlights just how hectic the past couple years have been. There’s always one event or another going on, which I think might be the biggest uphill battle of this one for me. Taking a step back, the multiverse itself seems to constantly be in a state of “will never be the same again” change, which makes it hard not to just tune things out.
Akash: Interestingly, in the aftermath of the Absolute Power, the multiverse has been sealed off. This is clearly so that the Absolute Universe feels more unique rather than just another alternate universe, but we’ve seen this before. As a matter of fact, the Elseworld mentioned in Infinite Frontier gets name-dropped here.
Aaron: I actually clocked DC revisiting the unexplored second Alpha planet introduced as a result of Infinite Frontier. The other, Omega planet was the battleground for The Death of The Justice League. It’s weird that DC was ignoring it until now, although, War For Earth 3 was the impetus for Waller’s heel turn in the first place. Again, it is ironic that Earth-0 aka Earth 3 hasn’t been around until Waller teases it as backup in Absolute Power. Personally, it feels like Williamson finishing his idea a few years later.
William: Despite DC using the multiverse constantly they rarely do anything meaningful with it. To me, this initiative feels like a chance to do that. Ongoing books published in an alternate reality that will ostensibly affect the mainline books at some point could give credence to the idea that the multiverse does matter for more than just cameos overblown threats or toothless universe alterations.
Chip: I think this sentiment is my biggest takeaway from this issue. Not using the multiverse as a way to go “remember that movie you watched? Here it is again!” but to actually be interesting. The three pages in Omega where Darkseid outlines they key differences in the Absolute universe may have finally sold me on the concept.
Casper: Well, I read it, and, to be honest, I find it all to be incredibly uninteresting. The Multiverse aspects that are here mainly feel like ads for other comics rather than organic parts of this story, and the story in this issue just drags a lot. It goes on and on and on and I just wanted it to end. I feel like this comic assumes that readers care about the DC Multiverse and such, but there’s no real solid character stuff or an exciting plot to hold onto for me as a reader. I’m just sitting here staring at wild over the top stuff that the creators are throwing at me, and it’s just one more comic that desperately tries to convince me that “bigger” is “better,” and then fails to accomplish that.
All-In Reforming the Justice League
Jackson: One of All In’s main purposes is the reformation of the Justice League after being disbanded since Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths. I don’t think anyone is surprised that it’s happening, as the status quo of the Titans as DC’s “main” hero team was never going to last (though it was really funny to see Absolute Power end with Ollie giving a speech about how they were never going to live up). The new Justice League, or “Justice League Unlimited” as it will soon be called, is bigger than ever with a huge roster. They’ve included just about every DC hero they could on one giant super team, including callbacks to lineups from years past such as JLI from the 80s or the JLA from the 2000s. The most obvious comparison you could make would be the Justice League Unlimited cartoon from which this new team gets it name and concept. They even have a similar watchtower satellite. However, I have to give a brief moment to talk about an eyerolling aspect of the issue for me, which is the membership cards. Every JL member now gets these little cards with their name and info, and every time one is mentioned, the panel art focuses really closely on them with a weird amount of detail. I can’t help but think that this is because these are real-world cards being given out at comic stores as promotional items for people who buy DC Comics. It all feels like a cheesy and out-of-place advertisement, especially when Booster Gold refers to them with the same importance to the DC mythos as Legion of Super-Heroes or Green Lantern rings.
Akash: I have several issues with this. Firstly, having no fixed roster worked only for a TV show which was the sole place to see these characters. Here, we have the Titans, the BoP, the Batfamily, and several heroes with their solo titles, which makes the upcoming JL title ripe for continuity problems. Secondly, this continues to re-enforce the League as a collection of heroes, without an identity of its own. Thirdly, we’ve been here before, quite recently, with Snyder and Bendis’ Leagues having a similar approach of trying to bring all the heroes under one banner. In practice, most of the heroes, ended becoming wallpaper, while the “main heroes” did the real work. Finally, how is this different from before? All that’s changed is that they have a name now. The heroes still worked together during big events (I will admit the League shut down means of communication and teleportation, but shouldn’t the Titans have handled that?)
Aaron: Honestly, it didn’t seem like all that big of a change. Yes, the team is aligning closer with the open-door philosophy of the 90’s animated series, but the league has always been robust. In fact, one of the major moves the League pulls in the new 52 is a mass recruitment. Not to mention, there was the Justice Foundation set up at the end of Rebirth’s JLA title, and the unified league in the hall after the Totality macguffin. This just felt like them over-explaining that the Justice League will once again have a rotating roster for specific missions. They are absolutely forcing the cards to be “a thing.“
William: I don’t have anything to add on the cards because, yeah, I agree with everything you’ve all. Very overdone and forced. As far as the roster itself goes I’m pretty happy. True there is a risk of most of the characters becoming wallpaper but personally I like the idea of an expansive league and with the right execution this could become a great move. I’d love Justice League Unlimited to feature an almost entirely different team for each arc. It would give many different characters a chance to shine in a high-profile book and offer many interesting character dynamics we’ve never seen before. Additionally, I think it will help with the age-old JL problem of the team being too powerful and the threats ending up world-shattering in every arc to compensate. Now we can have a Justice League made up of much weaker characters for a few months that can tackle smaller threats. Beyond all this, the Justice League was always going to reform and since it never really felt like they broke up to begin with, something big like this had to happen to make the team’s return feel like it had some meaning.
Aaron: Green Arrow made it seem like they lost each others’ numbers.
Jackson: There’s always going to be a bit of suspension of disbelief when it comes to team-ups in a shared universe. If we were “realistic” about it, then there should just be a permanent, massive hero organization that would overwhelm any villain they could with numbers. Joker’s poisoning the water supply? Show up with Superman and the Flash. Instead, we keep everyone in their corners because it makes for better and more focused stories. That being said, the more you call attention to the artificiality of it all, the more that suspension of disbelief falters. “Disbanding” the Justice League is a perfect example of that. It never felt like there was a good reason for them to stop. Plenty of teams functionally “disband” because their comic stops selling, but you don’t think about them (because you weren’t reading them). When you constantly bring up how the premier DC hero team just… stopped, it makes the reader question the internal world logic.
Aaron: I like the part where Booster naturally assumes there would be only seven to eight members. As if he wasn’t a part of the fairly large JLI.
Jackson: I don’t even know which Justice Leagues are “canon” anymore, and to what extent. A lot of their origins are contradictory to one another. Saying “It’s all canon” isn’t helpful, but I guess I’m willing to accept “Don’t think about it too much” as the answer.
Aaron: Post Infinite Frontier they claim everything is on the table and more and more references to things once retconned have been happening. As a person who follows continuity, I get frustrated. For instance, Task Force VII #7 features New Guardians lore from the old series. So did Kelly and Lanzing’s Outsiders.
Akash: The big organization works in theory, but we have heroes of different teams present here as well. And last I checked Titans and Birds of Prey aren’t getting cancelled, so are they going to show up in both? I foresee so many issues with this. Take Black Canary, who already appears in Birds of Prey and Green Arrow, (and apparently has laser vision now?) Yes, it is possible to make it work, but more often than not, especially in recent times, it hasn’t. Having a fixed roster helps create an identity, which the League has lacked for years. If I were to mention JLI or JLA or even Justice League Detroit, most fans conjure a mental image of those lineups. Admittedly, this is entering pet peeve territory for me, but the lack of identity might hurt down the line.
Chip: I like the idea of having a different roster for each mission. I think it’s a good way to introduce new characters to readers who might be jumping on with the new book, much like its namesake. Although I also agree with the fact that, it won’t really have an identity. I have much fonder memories of the Justice League TV show than Unlimited, which I never really got on with. My feelings seem to counteract each other in this case. I liked how some heroes refused membership though, I think it helps the group maintain some identity at least. And yeah, the membership card is tacky, though I’m sure they’ll have greater meaning down the line. I would be lying if I said I didn’t think it was even a little cool when I got one at my LCS. Tacky in the book, not without its charm in the real world.
Akash: Interestingly, Damian throws his card away but is later seen on the satellite.
Chip: I missed that. Not only is he there, but he seems somewhat happy about it.
Akash: Also, the JSA is here. Are they all JL members now?
Chip: I guess so? I’m hoping it’ll be more outlined in the JLU book.
Akash: Ok, I think I can rephrase my complaint (and I will freely admit it is a nitpick), the League feels less like a superhero team and more like a corporation providing benefits if you sign up. Everybody gets their own department too – Black Lightning gets the metahuman outreach initiative, The Question is the security chief, etc.
William: It feels like an Image team book!
Casper: To be honest, the JLA feels very arbitrary in this issue. While I wholeheartedly agree that it could be great to see a changing roster of heroes from arc to arc in the upcoming Justice League Unlimited series, it all just feels so random with regard to who accepts the cards and who doesn’t in this particular issue. It also feels very random as to who appears in the panels and who doesn’t. This comic just rushes past everyone joining up and before you know it, the league has fully formed and it’s like they never left in the first place, and I guess we, the readers, are just meant to accept it or something? Nothing about how the various heroes join up or refuse is remotely interesting, and the conflict that ensues isn’t, either. This entire comic is purely set up for future stories but feels entirely skippable when the bottom line is that nearly everyone, if not every single hero, joins, but none of their motivations are explored whatsoever. It’s like everyone who joins, joins because that’s what we expect, and so it shall be, I guess.
Darkseid’s Role in All-In
Jackson: Darkseid’s appearance in the first story felt incredibly jarring with how quickly it began and ended. Everything made more sense once the second story added context, but in the moment I was confused more than anything else. As for Darkseid’s main story in “Omega”, I think it was actually my favorite part of the issue. It’s melodramatic and over the top, but done in the way you want from a story set on Apokolips. His machinations are great fun to watch unfold, if a bit undercut by one sequence’s striking similarity to a scene with Thanos from Avenger’s Endgame. I guess turnabout is fair play since Thanos stole from Darkseid’s concept in the first place. The one thing I didn’t like, and is unfortunately central to the overall event narrative, is the universal dichotomy between Superman and Darkseid. This has become more and more of a thing over the years, but it really does a disservice to the rest of the New Gods pantheon when he becomes a Superman villain first and foremost. Would you believe me if I told you Kirby had it so Orion was supposed to be Darkseid’s ultimate rival?
Akash: I completely agree. Darkseid going on a quest to bond with the Spectre, like Thanos hunting for the Infinity Gems was the best part of the issue. We are often told that Darkseid is a big deal, and it was actually great to see him do impressive things. For the longest time, Darkseid was the ultimate embodiment of evil, a role that kept getting re-enforced as an honor. Well, he’s tired of losing and he’s quitting to start his own universe and he won’t even serve a notice period.
Aaron: For a long time, the Spectre always performed according to the will of God, and now he bows to a New God. Sounds inspired, but in practice I feel like I accidentally skimmed through a mini-series that they never made.
William: My least favorite part of the issue was definitely that Superman/Darkseid connection. I don’t mind Superman being the symbolic face of heroism and Darkseid being the face of evil (important to note that heroism and “good” are not synonymous) but this comic makes it all too literal. The concept also doesn’t feel well thought out because while a big deal is made out of Darkseid being one of a kind in the multiverse, as a symbol of his being a primal force, Superman, his supposed opposite, is just one of infinite variants. Besides this, I did have a great time with Darkseid’s quest itself and honestly, I didn’t mind his abrupt appearance in the DCU pages. I thought the shock of it all made an impact and since the explanation was only a flip of the book away any confusion I had was quickly forgotten.
Akash: Superman being written as the polar opposite of Darkseid isn’t great, but I can see how it came about. Continuity-wise Superman has been at the forefront of multiple of Darkseid’s defeats, so now he wants to shed that connection. Why would he create a world where Superman is (technically) heroic and would oppose him? Well, DC needs to sell Absolute Superman as a comic.
Chip: Omega was by far the better story for me. Darkseid’s quest, going through different characters, was very entertaining, though yes, it feels like a condensed recap of a mini-series. I cannot and will not get over the concept of Darkseid and Superman “energies” not only being a concept that made it out of the ideas stage, but that they are somehow opposite to each other? Obviously, you can’t make it Orion because he isn’t as popular as Superman. That doesn’t mean I still have to like the idea.
Akash: I will never not hate the “energies” idea.
Chip: It sounds like an idea someone would make up to make fun of comic books. But here it is, on the page.
Casper: So, Darkseid’s stuff is easily my favorite stuff in this issue. The first half, with the League, I really didn’t care about — it bored me to tears. The second half, where we follow Darkseid, is actually pretty cool, although I agree with you guys that it feels more like a condensed version of a miniseries. That said, I like following Darkseid as he fights his way to victory, and I’m glad that it gives context to the moment where Darkseid appears during the first half. I just feel like the way this comic is structured doesn’t work for me. I’d rather see this story unfold in a more linear fashion, with JLA and Darkseid scenes alternating, so Darkseid’s appearance during the first half doesn’t feel so sudden and random, but there’s an actual solid buildup to it. What I dislike the most about the Darkseid story, though, is the narration. It just drags on and on, and it’s overwritten. I don’t hate it, but I wish an editor would’ve made the writers cut this down significantly, as the amount of words disrupts the flow of the narrative for me.
All-In Art
Daniel Sampere on pencils and Alejandro Sánchez on colors for “Alpha,” Wes Craig on pencils and Mike Spicer on colors for “Omega.”
Jackson: Before we get into the overall art, did anyone else catch that weird costume change Batman had for like two pages when fighting Darkseid? Unless I missed something, it’s never explained where it came from, what it is, or where it went after the fight is over.
Akash: I did see that and also this costume has chains powerful enough to bind Darkseid.
Aaron: We can’t confirm anything, but I can’t tell if it was an in-universe anachronism caused by Darkseid, a mistake, or some kind of new suit. Either way, they did a poor job by not setting it up. Visually, it reminds me of the upcoming Nightfire costume.
Jackson: Perhaps we’ll never know. Regardless, I think I overall liked the art for this issue. The contrast between Sampere’s clean lines and traditional house style, and Craig’s messier, almost primal art really highlighted the differences between the “good” narrative and the one dominated by the gods of Apokolips. Perhaps Sampere and Spicer sometimes veered too far toward the clean, glossy look, giving the impression of static plastic figures, but maybe that’s just because I read it right after Absolute Power #4 illustrated by Dan Mora. It’s not a fair comparison to make. Craig on the other hand did a great job emulating Jack Kirby’s distinct style, which is exactly what you should shoot for when drawing a New Gods story.
William: That Batman costume change was indeed strange but I also want to quickly highlight how action-figure-tastic Darkseid appears in Sampere’s art when he’s bonded to the Spectre. Definitely not how I want this character to look. Weird costuming moments aside, I loved the art in this issue. Sampere is one of my favorite artists working at DC right now and, like Jackson said, Craig was the perfect choice to draw a Darkseid story. His art sort of reminds me of a tighter Daniel Warren Johnson, another favorite of mine. While Sampere’s art can sometimes feel a little stiff, Craig’s art oozes action and movement. His only weakness in my eyes is drawing more “normal” characters. When Justice League members show up they feel a bit off. However, the Absolute versions of the characters are edgy enough looking that his work feels more successful.
Akash: I’ve been a fan of Sampere’s stuff since Dark Crisis (which is the only praise I’ll give that event), especially during the scene where Secret Society defeats the Titans. I’ll admit I’m not very familiar with Wes Craig, with his art feeling like a mix between Daniel Warren Johnson and an attempt to evoke Kirby maybe (?) Stylistically it works well as Darkseid goes on his epic quest, though his rendition of mainstream Superman looked…off.
Chip: My thought was that maybe Batman’s new suit had something to do with the new membership cards? After Mr. Terrific talks about augmenting abilities, I guess the only thing you can do with Batman is make him more armoured. Would love some clarification though. Sampere is fantastic as per usual. I particularly like the way he draws Booster. Just very earnest and cheerful looking here, which is why characters like Supes look so good as well. There’s nothing I could say that hasn’t already been said. However, am going to sing Wes Craig’s praises a little more. It just oozes with style, feeling like a mix of Kirby, Cooke, and like Akash and William said, Warren Johnson. There are also some really unique and nice panel layouts in Omega that I think deserve special attention. I prefer the fight scene in Omega to the one in Alpha I will say. The sheer scale of it makes it feel a little more impactful.
Casper: I agree with you guys that the art is pretty good in this issue. Sampere’s art is indeed very clean and very solid, and is a great fit for a superhero book. I like Jackson’s observation that it nicely contrasts with Craig’s art, separating the good guys from the evil ones. While I enjoyed both artists a lot, I have to say that I prefer Craig’s work in this comic. It just gives me more stuff to enjoy, with Darkseid’s adventure, because, as awesome as Sampere is at drawing superheroes and comics in general, he mainly gets to draw random heroes in random poses who occasionally shout random lines that could have been shouted by any other random character. I would never point to this issue as a good showcase of what Sampere’s capable of. Yes, it’s at a super high professional standard because Sampere’s just that good, but nothing here is particularly exciting for me to look at. Essentially, this comic commits this sin of, what James Gunn refers to as, “cameo porn,” and I really dislike it. Even amazing art can’t save this book.
Overall
Aaron: Subjectively, I feel as if All-In doesn’t have a strong hook, and seemingly forces its inciting circumstances. Yet, I can’t say this wasn’t at least filled with exciting possibilities. I like Spectre-Darkseid, I like the idea of the JLU format I grew up with, and I like Sampere’s gorgeous art. Wes Craig isn’t Kirby, but the journey in Omega feels epic. Although, it feels like Darkseid committing to his fan fiction. The problem I have is that this feels like DC patting itself on the back for rushing to an event we should have had after Infinite Frontier. On one hand, I’d love to dismiss this as too little, too late, but I’m hoping it was worth the wait. So far, I’m skeptical.
Score: 6/10
Jackson: Ultimately, it’s a DC multiverse event. After a while, they all start to blend together and this is no exception. You’ve got a grand statement about the nature of DC’s spirit, some “will never be the same again” status quo changes, and a big action setpiece against one of DC’s big bads. It’s less a story unto itself and more an exercise in coming up with an in-universe reason for why the upcoming comics are the way that they are. It’s well executed enough and the scenes on Apokolips are fun, but it’s still an editorial endeavor first.
Score: 5.5/10
Akash: I loved the character development of Booster and Darkseid, but I couldn’t shrug off a feeling of “been there, done that” while reading the first and last parts of the issue. The League forming feels ceremonial and artificial, while Darkseid’s quest, though interesting in its own way, ultimately only exists to set up the Absolute Universe.
Score: 4/10
William: Perhaps surprisingly, I had a great time reading this special. While I wouldn’t claim it’s the most unique or special comic out there it adequately sets up the Absolute universe and is simply fun from end to end. Still, I have to compromise between how I feel about the comic itself and its place in the greater context of the DCU. Like others have said, it does feel redundant, editorially driven, and Absolute Power’s failures loom large over it. In the end, what will make or break the special is whether the status quo and worlds it sets up are a success. This is a comic that can’t truly stand on its own.
Score: 7/10
Chip: It’s really nothing new. The League reforms. Seen it. The League fights Darkseid. Seen it. A hero gets lost in the battle. Again, seen it. The plot couldn’t be any more generic. However, the art is stunning on both sides of the story and does meet in the middle with a great Mora center spread. It also managed to sell me on the concept of the Absolute universe, which is ultimately the goal of this issue. It could never work without being connected to it, because it’s the whole reason it exists. The format is also novel, if a bit gimmicky, but it makes it stand out from what feels like thousands of other event-related one-shots we’ve had in recent years.
Score: 5/10
Casper: The art is really good throughout, even if I dislike JLA art where a bunch of heroes are just kind of standing about, blankly staring at whatever is happening in front of them. Darkseid’s half of the story is easily the best part, but with it feeling like a condensed version of a miniseries that doesn’t exist, it also feels a bit rushed. Regarding Darkseid’s part, I’m disappointed that it ultimately ends up being an ad for the Absolute universe, but at least the story itself is an okay read. The first half, though… no. Just no. I dislike it. It’s super generic superhero stuff that I have seen a hundred times or more, as it’s just rehashing old stuff while trying to trick readers into thinking it’s doing anything new. Nothing during the first half hooks me. I find nothing inspiring here. I had to push myself to get through it. Not to mention that a lot of the lines are just arbitrary, outside of Booster’s lines and I guess some of the things that Superman says. All in all, I don’t recommend this comic. It feels entirely skippable. I’d just wait for Waid and Mora’s Justice League Unlimited and Ram V and Evan Cagle’s The New Gods to start if you want JLA and New Gods-related action.
Score: 4/10
Well, that’s that. A lot of thoughts for a lot of comic. It’ll be very interesting to see where the DCU goes from here. Thanks to the team for participating and to you for reading. We’ll see you in the comments!
Overall Score: 5.5/10