Black Adam Endless Winter Special #1

Black Adam Endless Winter Special #1

DC Comics 2020

Written by Ron Marz & Andy Lanning

Illustrated by Brandon Peterson

Coloured by Mike Atiyeh

Lettered by Wes Abbott

Flashback

Illustrated by Marco Santucci

Coloured by Arif Prianto

Lettered by ALW’s Troy Peteri

“Endless Winter” chapter eight!

Seeking to bolster his nation’s place in the world, Black Adam arrives in Gotham City demanding action to end the threat causing an endless winter across the globe. But Black Adam isn’t telling the world’s leaders everything-especially not that he’s faced the mysterious Frost King before and won. Find out what Adam’s hiding in the penultimate chapter of “Endless Winter.”

I will be the first to admit that I am not following this at all. There are just way too many things that are going on at DC and ones start before others finish and to me its just this huge mishegas of madness. So why am I here with this one? Simple Black Adam is an intriguing character and while inherently evil he is also a misguided hero by his own accounts so there is this dichotomy to him that makes him seem just that more intriguing. That The Viking Prince, Hippolyta and he alongside the Swamp Thing managed to work together in the past showcases just how rich, unlimited and untapped DC’s past truly is. That is where a lot of my own interest lies, that and seeing a version of the Secret Six or Suicide Squad within these pages as well.

Because I am so far out of the loop that I have no idea who this Sebastian Stagg is. Not really sure it even matters to me, he’s a corporate villain pure and simple. One who covets that which he cannot obtain thus making him little more than a thorn in ones paw. Dynamite characterisation on that by the way. The story & plot development that we see here is phenomenal as is the character development. Multiplex’s plea to adam is another reason for his complexity to show. Now I don’t know what’s going on at DC but I do know this, Catman needs to lead the team of these B-List villains, this from a nobody of a man heh, in a book all their own. The pacing here is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing the twists & turns along the way it really showcases the potential of what could be.

The interiors here are sensational. The Frost King is a dynamic individual whose visage grows, changes and is such that he commands attention on the pages and shines over all the others we see. The linework is fantastic though I wish we’d see more techniques than simple linework to bring out the detail we see in the work. Make no mistake this glorious to see but it can that much more with hatching, crosshatching and so much more. Even that first shot of Icicle was something to behold all we need is a tad more consistency as well. The utilisation of the page layouts, how we see the composition within the panels and the angles and perspective in the panels show a solidly talented eye for storytelling. The colour work is divine. How we see the various hues and tones within the colours to create such depth with their shading, highlights and shadow work. The contrast we see and the way it brings this to life is just beautifully done.

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While I could give two hoots about the whole Endless Winter shenanigans I can say that I do want to see more of the team Black Adam has called into play. I also want to see more interactions between Adam, Hippolyta and the others of that bygone age. Without playing to the crowds I think Black Adam could actually hold his own series should it be centred around his past and his desire to keep his kingdom relevant instead of him mucking about in anyone else's affairs, or being drawn into them.