What do you think?
Rate this book
Year of the Villain: The Infected #1-4
Year of the Villain: The Infected
Following his hit mini-series, The Batman Who Laughs has forcibly enlisted six heroes of the DC Universe to become his agents, gifted with mighty powers and infected with his evil.
Year of the Villain: The Infected spins out of the hit miniseries The Batman Who Laughs and tells the tales of four superheroes who are reborn as the Infected...corrupted versions of some of DC's greatest heroes who were gifted with extraordinary new powers--but whose souls have been blackened by the evil of the Batman Who Laughs. The heroic lives of Shazam, the Blue Beetle, Gotham City's Commissioner Jim Gordon and former Teen Titan Donna Troy are all transformed by the Batman Who Laughs. Now they are pawns in his efforts to destroy the heroes of the DC Universe--whether they want it or not! This title collects The Infected: King Shazam! #1, The Infected: Scarab #1, The Infected: Donna Troy, Deathbringer #1 and The Infected: Gordon, the Commissioner #1.
Year of the Villain: The Infected spins out of the hit miniseries The Batman Who Laughs and tells the tales of four superheroes who are reborn as the Infected...corrupted versions of some of DC's greatest heroes who were gifted with extraordinary new powers--but whose souls have been blackened by the evil of the Batman Who Laughs. The heroic lives of Shazam, the Blue Beetle, Gotham City's Commissioner Jim Gordon and former Teen Titan Donna Troy are all transformed by the Batman Who Laughs. Now they are pawns in his efforts to destroy the heroes of the DC Universe--whether they want it or not! This title collects The Infected: King Shazam! #1, The Infected: Scarab #1, The Infected: Donna Troy, Deathbringer #1 and The Infected: Gordon, the Commissioner #1.
144 pages, Paperback
First published June 23, 2020
10 people are currently reading
183 people want to read
About the author
Sina Grace
231 books146 followersSina Grace’s parents had big plans for their son: Ivy League schooling, professional credentials, a 6-figure income as a doctor– the works! Fortunately for us, he found the wonderful world of comics instead. It was in this world of contradictions that he “matured,” one foot teetering on the edge of academia, the other drawn to the inescapable grasp of an ink-bound fantasy underworld.
At 14, Grace seemingly appeased his parents by interning at Top Cow Productions, under the guidance of Editor-in-Chief Renae Geerlings (his single mother figured at least he was collecting college credit). However the only thing he was collecting (other than comics), was the compulsive habit of drawing unrealistically proportioned, scantily clad women.
At 16, he got a perpetual summer-time job at the Santa Monica landmark: Hi De Ho Comics, where he would be inspired to create Books with Pictures. By 17 he wrote, drew, and self-published his first comic, The Roller-Derby Robo-Dykes versus the Cannibals. His knowledge of disproportionate harlots with weapons came in handy when depicting a story about Robo-Dykes bent on taking over the world. His mother was happy that he was taking interest in girls. The book went into a second printing, and received the praise of Lying in the Gutters critic, Rich Johnston.
Weeks after graduating high school, he was asked by Rilo Kiley front-woman Jenny Lewis to illustrate a limited edition comic book adaptation of their 2004 record, More Adventurous. In the spring of 2006 he was asked to apprentice under comics genius, Howard Chaykin (even though it may not be apparent in Books with Pictures, Grace did learn the function of a ruler and the meaning of a vanishing point).
Between the summers of 2005 and 06, Grace’s partially-biographical indie dramedy, Books with Pictures, went from hand-xeroxed zines to full-fledged, full-sized comic books. Shortly after its debut at San Diego Comic-Con, Diamond Distributors accepted the series into their ordering catalogue, Previews. Grace’s work on the series was met with admiration from bloggers and reviewers alike, and has since taken on several projects for multiple anthologies due in late 2008.
To his parents’ delight, he graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz, receiving an undergraduate degree in Literature, with an emphasis on Creative Writing.
Sina Grace recently self-published an illustrated novel about a sorcerer sleuth in Orange County, aptly named Cedric Hollows in Dial M for Magic, his next project will be providing illustrations for Amber Benson’s novel, Among the Ghosts, through Aladdin Books.
At 14, Grace seemingly appeased his parents by interning at Top Cow Productions, under the guidance of Editor-in-Chief Renae Geerlings (his single mother figured at least he was collecting college credit). However the only thing he was collecting (other than comics), was the compulsive habit of drawing unrealistically proportioned, scantily clad women.
At 16, he got a perpetual summer-time job at the Santa Monica landmark: Hi De Ho Comics, where he would be inspired to create Books with Pictures. By 17 he wrote, drew, and self-published his first comic, The Roller-Derby Robo-Dykes versus the Cannibals. His knowledge of disproportionate harlots with weapons came in handy when depicting a story about Robo-Dykes bent on taking over the world. His mother was happy that he was taking interest in girls. The book went into a second printing, and received the praise of Lying in the Gutters critic, Rich Johnston.
Weeks after graduating high school, he was asked by Rilo Kiley front-woman Jenny Lewis to illustrate a limited edition comic book adaptation of their 2004 record, More Adventurous. In the spring of 2006 he was asked to apprentice under comics genius, Howard Chaykin (even though it may not be apparent in Books with Pictures, Grace did learn the function of a ruler and the meaning of a vanishing point).
Between the summers of 2005 and 06, Grace’s partially-biographical indie dramedy, Books with Pictures, went from hand-xeroxed zines to full-fledged, full-sized comic books. Shortly after its debut at San Diego Comic-Con, Diamond Distributors accepted the series into their ordering catalogue, Previews. Grace’s work on the series was met with admiration from bloggers and reviewers alike, and has since taken on several projects for multiple anthologies due in late 2008.
To his parents’ delight, he graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz, receiving an undergraduate degree in Literature, with an emphasis on Creative Writing.
Sina Grace recently self-published an illustrated novel about a sorcerer sleuth in Orange County, aptly named Cedric Hollows in Dial M for Magic, his next project will be providing illustrations for Amber Benson’s novel, Among the Ghosts, through Aladdin Books.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
August 24, 2020
Okey-Doke. This is a spin-off that collects each individual issue of these 4 infected heroes and shows you how they became 'villains' after getting dosed with the BatJoker-toxin.
Shazam becomes an asshole teenager with superpowers.
As the parent of teenagers, this one is spooky as hell.
Blue Beetle is a nice kid who fights it as much as he can, but...
Donna Troy gets all bitter and angry and stabby.
Commissioner Gordon finally has that middle aged-man breakdown he's been needing to have for years.
I actually thought that for what they were these were all pretty well thought out and interesting little one-shots. If you're really into this event, I wouldn't hesitate to suggest this volume.
Shazam becomes an asshole teenager with superpowers.
As the parent of teenagers, this one is spooky as hell.
Blue Beetle is a nice kid who fights it as much as he can, but...
Donna Troy gets all bitter and angry and stabby.
Commissioner Gordon finally has that middle aged-man breakdown he's been needing to have for years.
I actually thought that for what they were these were all pretty well thought out and interesting little one-shots. If you're really into this event, I wouldn't hesitate to suggest this volume.
July 13, 2020
This is a companion piece to Batman/Superman Volume 1: Who are the Secret Six?. It expands on the Secret Six and how they deal with the dark metal infection from the Batman Who Laughs. The stories are all just OK. It's by no means essential reading but if you read Batman / Superman and want to know more, here it is.
June 21, 2020
In order to defeat Apex Lex and plunge Earth into the depths of the Dark Multiverse, the Batman Who Laughs recruits a new Secret Six, corrupting familiar faces into villains. Joining him are Supergirl, Hawkman, Shazam!, Blue Beetle, Jim Gordon, and Donna Troy - dive into their minds as they succumb to the Batman Who Laughs' infection!
This volume collects the four Infected one-shots, as well as two issues of the Hawkman and Supergirl ongoing series, which leads to a mixed bag of issues.
The one-shots are certainly more focused. King Shazam! (Sina Grace & Joe Bennett), Scarab (Dennis Hopeless & Freddie Williams II), Deathbringer (Zoe Quinn & Brent Peeples), and the Commissioner (Paul Jenkins & Jack Herbert) are all designed to explore these characters' descent into madness; Shazam embraces it, Blue Beetle fights it to his last, and Donna and Gordon fall somewhere in the middle. None of these characters have a currently published ongoing (aside from Shazam!, but that's so sparse that it doesn't count), so it's nice to see how well they fit into the ongoing continuity of the DCU - Deathbringer feels like another issue of Titans, for example.
Meanwhile, the Hawkman (Robert Venditti & Patrick Oliffe) and Supergirl (Jody Houser & Rachael Stott) are part of an ongoing narrative, so some of their impact is lost since they're also moving along their own ongoing plotlines as well as having their characters fall to darkness. Supergirl's is especially transitory since the creative team is brand new.
As a companion piece to Year Of The Villain (and the Secret Six arc of Batman/Superman), The Infected is solid, if unnecessary. It's nice to explore these characters in this position, but there's nothing major here that will impact or enhance their appearances elsewhere. For completionists only.
This volume collects the four Infected one-shots, as well as two issues of the Hawkman and Supergirl ongoing series, which leads to a mixed bag of issues.
The one-shots are certainly more focused. King Shazam! (Sina Grace & Joe Bennett), Scarab (Dennis Hopeless & Freddie Williams II), Deathbringer (Zoe Quinn & Brent Peeples), and the Commissioner (Paul Jenkins & Jack Herbert) are all designed to explore these characters' descent into madness; Shazam embraces it, Blue Beetle fights it to his last, and Donna and Gordon fall somewhere in the middle. None of these characters have a currently published ongoing (aside from Shazam!, but that's so sparse that it doesn't count), so it's nice to see how well they fit into the ongoing continuity of the DCU - Deathbringer feels like another issue of Titans, for example.
Meanwhile, the Hawkman (Robert Venditti & Patrick Oliffe) and Supergirl (Jody Houser & Rachael Stott) are part of an ongoing narrative, so some of their impact is lost since they're also moving along their own ongoing plotlines as well as having their characters fall to darkness. Supergirl's is especially transitory since the creative team is brand new.
As a companion piece to Year Of The Villain (and the Secret Six arc of Batman/Superman), The Infected is solid, if unnecessary. It's nice to explore these characters in this position, but there's nothing major here that will impact or enhance their appearances elsewhere. For completionists only.
March 8, 2025
A compiled edition of one shots, each is covering the starting point of descending into an evil version of the Secret Six who I believe will have a more present role in the Batman/ Superman arc that I'm starting next, following the chronolgy of the Metal series on GoodReads.
Upon their infection by the Batman who laughs, each of the six heroes starts dealing with the evil side within himself, while some like Shazam and Super Girl embraced it, some others like Blue Beetle couldn't come to terms with being evil
I'm not sureif this should have benn read before or after Batman/ Superman Vol1, but I'll know for sure soon enough...
MiM
Upon their infection by the Batman who laughs, each of the six heroes starts dealing with the evil side within himself, while some like Shazam and Super Girl embraced it, some others like Blue Beetle couldn't come to terms with being evil
I'm not sureif this should have benn read before or after Batman/ Superman Vol1, but I'll know for sure soon enough...
MiM
December 19, 2021
This was just okay. I like the idea of the dark multiverse still, but this just wasn’t that interesting or entertaining 🤷🏻♀️
November 10, 2020
This is a companion book to Batman/Superman Volume 1: Who are the Secret Six? and a pivotal chapter in the overarching Dark Multiverse storyline. This compilation of one-shots detailing the corruption of four out of six heroes throughout the DC universe in a plot by The Batman Who Laughs.
As a whole, they’re decent stories that aren’t really effective on their own nor are they super essential, but work well when reading the Batman/Superman book. My favorites were “The Commissioner” and “The Deathbringer.”
As a whole, they’re decent stories that aren’t really effective on their own nor are they super essential, but work well when reading the Batman/Superman book. My favorites were “The Commissioner” and “The Deathbringer.”
November 13, 2020
Estoy leyendo el evento de año del villano, pero parece que lo único relevante es lo que sucede en la Jl de Snyder y un poco lo de Batman/Superman de Williamson.
Este tomo trae los tie-ins que se enfocan en cada infectado que vimos en el Batman/Superman. Esto obviamente se inspira en lo que vimos en Batman Metal donde había un tie in para cada Batman del Multiverso Oscuro. Pero esos números sueltos funcionaban y estos no. ¿A qué se debe? Muy sencillo: los de Metal eran números dónde nos explicaban qué decisiones o qué sucedió en la vida de Bruce Wayne del multiverso oscuro para que surgiera su versión oscura. Eso era interesante. No todos eran buenos pero todos eran entretenidos e interesantes y algunos eran buenos. Aquí todos son malos. Porque no estamos viendo una versión del multiverso oscuro del comisionado, de shazam o de Donna Troy; no, estamos viendo a los de este universo infectados, y en sus números sólo los vemos más enojados, haciendo algunas cosas locas que no afectan de ninguna manera lo que vimos en Batman/Superman. Vemos a Shazam pelear con Mary Marvel, a Scarab peleando contra otro villano de tipo B, a Donna Troy cazando a los Teen Titans pero sólo para hablar con ellos, y a Gordon haciendo algunas cosas que parecían interesantes pero que al final no entiendo bien en qué terminaron.
El único que me gustó fue el de Gordon y a medias porque el final no me quedó del todo claro.
El arte es decente, aunque el de Scarab me pareció malo al igual que el de Hawkman, el resto no estaba mal.
Sáltense este tomo es completamente irrelevante.
Este tomo trae los tie-ins que se enfocan en cada infectado que vimos en el Batman/Superman. Esto obviamente se inspira en lo que vimos en Batman Metal donde había un tie in para cada Batman del Multiverso Oscuro. Pero esos números sueltos funcionaban y estos no. ¿A qué se debe? Muy sencillo: los de Metal eran números dónde nos explicaban qué decisiones o qué sucedió en la vida de Bruce Wayne del multiverso oscuro para que surgiera su versión oscura. Eso era interesante. No todos eran buenos pero todos eran entretenidos e interesantes y algunos eran buenos. Aquí todos son malos. Porque no estamos viendo una versión del multiverso oscuro del comisionado, de shazam o de Donna Troy; no, estamos viendo a los de este universo infectados, y en sus números sólo los vemos más enojados, haciendo algunas cosas locas que no afectan de ninguna manera lo que vimos en Batman/Superman. Vemos a Shazam pelear con Mary Marvel, a Scarab peleando contra otro villano de tipo B, a Donna Troy cazando a los Teen Titans pero sólo para hablar con ellos, y a Gordon haciendo algunas cosas que parecían interesantes pero que al final no entiendo bien en qué terminaron.
El único que me gustó fue el de Gordon y a medias porque el final no me quedó del todo claro.
El arte es decente, aunque el de Scarab me pareció malo al igual que el de Hawkman, el resto no estaba mal.
Sáltense este tomo es completamente irrelevante.
July 20, 2021
The Year of the Villain: The Infected collects The Infected: King Shazam 1 by Sina Grace and Joe Bennett, The Infected: The Scarab 1 by Dennis Hallum and Freddie Williams II, The Infected: Deathbringer 1 by Zoe Quinn and Brent Peeples, The Infected: The Commissioner by Paul Jenkins and Jack Herbert, Hawkman 18 by Marc Andreyko and Eduardo Pansica, and Supergirl 36 by Robert Venditti and Pat Olliffe.
This ties in to Batman/Superman Who is the Secret Six in which multiple heroes are infected by The Batman Who Laughs into evil versions of themselves.
These issues add absolutely nothing to the story and are pure cash grabs. Just skip.
This ties in to Batman/Superman Who is the Secret Six in which multiple heroes are infected by The Batman Who Laughs into evil versions of themselves.
These issues add absolutely nothing to the story and are pure cash grabs. Just skip.
April 25, 2021
i actually liked this pretty well. it's good setup for the main event. definitely makes me want to see how this plays out. don't love that it also says i need to read batman/superman (not that I'm opposed but events should be self contained enough on their own IMO)
July 3, 2020
I'm not thrilled with the concept, and I'm getting sick of the Batman Who Laughs. He's an interesting idea, but I just don't see the point of using him as a regular character, especially when it seems like he can just do whatever he wants. Or rather, whatever the story requires. That said, this miniseries isn't a total waste. It's essentially a series of character studies, of how these very different characters handle getting corrupted. Probably your reaction will depend on how much you already care about the characters. I care about Donna Troy and Jim Gordon much more than Billy Batson or Jaime Reyes, so I liked their stories more. Also, the stories for Supergirl and Hawkman are sandwiched into their regular series, so if you don't care about those, you probably won't be terribly invested in their stories here.
March 21, 2024
A mixed bag of not great.
May 11, 2021
*I've read WAY more books than I've taken time to review, so it's time for... quick, knee-jerk reactions!*
- I had my doubts about Year of the Villain, but I have to admit... combining all these different events--Leviathan, the Batman Who Laughs, Lex Luthor's "Doom" obsession--into an overarching story that pits all of the heroes against villains given all the tools to finally beat them WHILE ALSO turning some heroes into villains.... and those stories can still stand pretty strong and be interesting on their own? Yeah, I'm impressed. It's not perfect--my head is kind of spinning with trying to figure out when certain events from the solo comics take place in the larger world of the event comics and how they can all coincide together, but.... still, it's an ambitious undertaking, and the end result is actually pretty engaging.
- Kind of glad that Shazam was included. While it kills me to see a favorite character turned evil, this also gives the character credit as the powerhouse he is.
- I had my doubts about Year of the Villain, but I have to admit... combining all these different events--Leviathan, the Batman Who Laughs, Lex Luthor's "Doom" obsession--into an overarching story that pits all of the heroes against villains given all the tools to finally beat them WHILE ALSO turning some heroes into villains.... and those stories can still stand pretty strong and be interesting on their own? Yeah, I'm impressed. It's not perfect--my head is kind of spinning with trying to figure out when certain events from the solo comics take place in the larger world of the event comics and how they can all coincide together, but.... still, it's an ambitious undertaking, and the end result is actually pretty engaging.
- Kind of glad that Shazam was included. While it kills me to see a favorite character turned evil, this also gives the character credit as the powerhouse he is.
June 24, 2021
I'm not going to run through a synopsis on this one, other than, it's basically how the Batman Who Laughs infected each of the Secret Six from Batman/Superman Volume 1. There's a tie-in for each member and they range from meh to very meh. I don't think this is necessary to read whatsoever - you pretty much know all you need to know in the Batman/Superman book. But I'm giving it three stars because I will never say no to more Donna Troy.
July 30, 2023
I am legitimately confused as to why this has such low ratings! I have not read Batman/Superman yet, and I felt this was a perfect book to get me interested in the series.
I enjoyed seeing how each superhero is slowly corrupted by The Batman Who Laughs, although some chapters were definitely more interesting than others.
I can’t wait to read the first Batman/Superman graphic novel as well as Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen. ☺️
I enjoyed seeing how each superhero is slowly corrupted by The Batman Who Laughs, although some chapters were definitely more interesting than others.
I can’t wait to read the first Batman/Superman graphic novel as well as Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen. ☺️
November 23, 2022
I’m so surprised The Commissioner issue was the best one, gotta thank Paul Jenkins for that one, setting the mood.. perfectly. The uniqueness of the art in the Blue Beetle/ Scarab issue rounds this out to be strong recommend.
The Shazam story was pretty generic but decent.
Donna Troys Deathbringer was disappointing.
The Shazam story was pretty generic but decent.
Donna Troys Deathbringer was disappointing.
September 23, 2020
Year of the Villain: The Infected is a collection of the four one-shot issues, which is a part of the Year of the Villain event published by DC Comics. It collects all four one-shot issues, which focused on one character that was infected by the Batman Who Laughs.
The Infected: King Shazam (★★★☆☆) has Billy Batson is about to have a run-in with the most dangerous serial killer in existence – the Batman Who Laughs, who infected him that turned him into King Shazam – a Jokerized version of his superhero identity. It is written by Sina Grace and penciled by Joe Bennett.
The Infected: Scarab (★★★☆☆) has Jaime Reyes never asked to be the Blue Beetle, but he's been doing his best to live up to the power he was given. Now the most sinister evil this or any other world has ever seen – the Batman Who Laughs with Ghostfire has their sights set on turning him into a Jokerized version of his superhero form. It is written by Dennis Hallum and penciled by Freddie E. Williams II.
The Infected: Deathbringer (★★★☆☆) has Donna Troy infected by The Batman Who Laughs while negotiating the brewing tensions between meta-humans of Serenity Point, with the neighborhood watch set up by Borna being the dissenters led by Remy. The Batman Who Laughs took this opportunity to mock her and baited her into his trap in the hospital and over a week the infection took over her. It is written by Zoë Quinn and penciled by Joe Bennett.
The Infected: The Commissioner (★★★☆☆) has James Gordon infected by The Batman Who Laughs for over a year, bidding his time and tricking Bruce Wayne as Batman that he was still on his side and seems to be the mastermind behind the Infected. It also stars Barbara Gordon as Batgirl. It is written by Paul Jenkins and penciled by Joe Bennett.
In the re-launch of Batman/Superman series, the world's finest heroes will recognize a sinister plot to infect six of the DC Universe's greatest heroes with The Batman Who Laughs blend of Joker toxin. These four one-shots will explore which heroes are infected, and what these heroes look like when they are seen through his twisted red eyes that created The Batman Who Laughs. They are all mediocrely written.
With the exception of one issue (The Infected: Scarab) which was penciled by Freddie E. Williams II with the rest being penciled by Joe Bennett. Since Bennett was the main penciler, the artistic flow of the trade paperback flowed exceptionally well. His penciling style complemented the narrative rather well and pleasant to the eye.
All in all, Year of the Villain: The Infected is a mediocre collection of one-shots, which retells four of the six heroes that has descend into darkness through being infected by The Batman Who Laughs.
The Infected: King Shazam (★★★☆☆) has Billy Batson is about to have a run-in with the most dangerous serial killer in existence – the Batman Who Laughs, who infected him that turned him into King Shazam – a Jokerized version of his superhero identity. It is written by Sina Grace and penciled by Joe Bennett.
The Infected: Scarab (★★★☆☆) has Jaime Reyes never asked to be the Blue Beetle, but he's been doing his best to live up to the power he was given. Now the most sinister evil this or any other world has ever seen – the Batman Who Laughs with Ghostfire has their sights set on turning him into a Jokerized version of his superhero form. It is written by Dennis Hallum and penciled by Freddie E. Williams II.
The Infected: Deathbringer (★★★☆☆) has Donna Troy infected by The Batman Who Laughs while negotiating the brewing tensions between meta-humans of Serenity Point, with the neighborhood watch set up by Borna being the dissenters led by Remy. The Batman Who Laughs took this opportunity to mock her and baited her into his trap in the hospital and over a week the infection took over her. It is written by Zoë Quinn and penciled by Joe Bennett.
The Infected: The Commissioner (★★★☆☆) has James Gordon infected by The Batman Who Laughs for over a year, bidding his time and tricking Bruce Wayne as Batman that he was still on his side and seems to be the mastermind behind the Infected. It also stars Barbara Gordon as Batgirl. It is written by Paul Jenkins and penciled by Joe Bennett.
In the re-launch of Batman/Superman series, the world's finest heroes will recognize a sinister plot to infect six of the DC Universe's greatest heroes with The Batman Who Laughs blend of Joker toxin. These four one-shots will explore which heroes are infected, and what these heroes look like when they are seen through his twisted red eyes that created The Batman Who Laughs. They are all mediocrely written.
With the exception of one issue (The Infected: Scarab) which was penciled by Freddie E. Williams II with the rest being penciled by Joe Bennett. Since Bennett was the main penciler, the artistic flow of the trade paperback flowed exceptionally well. His penciling style complemented the narrative rather well and pleasant to the eye.
All in all, Year of the Villain: The Infected is a mediocre collection of one-shots, which retells four of the six heroes that has descend into darkness through being infected by The Batman Who Laughs.
June 16, 2022
An unispired bridge between The Batman Who Laughs and Batman/Superman, Vol. 1: Who are the Secret Six?, this tells how The (I Guess Not So) Secret (Anymore) Six were infected by The Batman Who Laughs before they popped up to fight Batman and Superman.
None of the stories had any depth, humor, cool art, anything really. Nothing was egregiously awful. It was just lifeless. And it didn't flesh out either of the stories it connects at all.
Unless you're a completist who needs to read each story involving The Batman Who Laughs, this volume is 100% skippable.
None of the stories had any depth, humor, cool art, anything really. Nothing was egregiously awful. It was just lifeless. And it didn't flesh out either of the stories it connects at all.
Unless you're a completist who needs to read each story involving The Batman Who Laughs, this volume is 100% skippable.
February 17, 2025
This sits between Batman/Superman: The Secret Six and Year of the Villian: Hell Arisen. Six heroes have been poisoned, their minds bent towards evil, so what will they do next?
The stories within vary pretty widely in quality. Both the Shazam and Blue Beetle story felt a bit dull (although the art in Blue Beetle became enjoyably creepy and grotesque as the story progressed). The Donna Troy story was so-so. The Jim Gordon story was surprisingly enjoyable, Paul Jenkins did a good job capturing a despair ridden Gordon giving up on his city.
The Hawkman story is alright, but it's just a single issue from an ongoing story, so there's not much satisfaction by the end of the issue. Same problem with the Supergirl issue.
The concept art at the back of the book looks great though.
Really this story feels skippable. You can probably just read a wiki page.
The stories within vary pretty widely in quality. Both the Shazam and Blue Beetle story felt a bit dull (although the art in Blue Beetle became enjoyably creepy and grotesque as the story progressed). The Donna Troy story was so-so. The Jim Gordon story was surprisingly enjoyable, Paul Jenkins did a good job capturing a despair ridden Gordon giving up on his city.
The Hawkman story is alright, but it's just a single issue from an ongoing story, so there's not much satisfaction by the end of the issue. Same problem with the Supergirl issue.
The concept art at the back of the book looks great though.
Really this story feels skippable. You can probably just read a wiki page.
May 11, 2024
I'm currently reading Dark Nights: Death Metal and in the process I found out I should have read Year of the Villain first, so I sort of backed up to read this one.
This is a series of one shots focusing on all the heroes that were "infected" with evil by the Batman Who Laughs in the Batman/Superman comic. (Which was a follow up to the original Dark Nights: Metal series. There's a lot to this DC Metal stuff.)
This volume wasn't bad as we got to see just what the infected heroes were up to before we rejoined them in Death Metal. Not really an essential part of the crossover, but not totally useless either.
This is a series of one shots focusing on all the heroes that were "infected" with evil by the Batman Who Laughs in the Batman/Superman comic. (Which was a follow up to the original Dark Nights: Metal series. There's a lot to this DC Metal stuff.)
This volume wasn't bad as we got to see just what the infected heroes were up to before we rejoined them in Death Metal. Not really an essential part of the crossover, but not totally useless either.
December 22, 2020
It is every hero’s worst nightmare to become the very thing they loathed: a villain. Exploring the Batman Who Laughs and his reign of terror turning the heroes of the DC Universe into monstrous versions of themselves, these issues really do a great job of delving into the underlying fears and doubts these heroes have, which leads to the infection taking hold much faster within them. The artwork captures the dark descent of these heroes, and the writing really does a great job of exploring these heroes and their darker halves.
January 26, 2021
Vemos como se van infectando diferentes héroes de DC y convirtiendose en villanos super poderosos. Hasta ahí iba muy bien la cosa, está chido ver cómo van cambiando sus mentalidades y se ponen super violentos una vez infectados, sin darse cuenta.
El pedo es que el Batman que Ríe, el villano que inicia la infección, está muy aguado. No tiene fuerza como personaje. Un intento de Snyder (Scott, no Zack!) por establecer un nuevo villano pero se va a quedar nadando entre los cientos que aparecen en unos números o una saga y se acaban. Creo.
El pedo es que el Batman que Ríe, el villano que inicia la infección, está muy aguado. No tiene fuerza como personaje. Un intento de Snyder (Scott, no Zack!) por establecer un nuevo villano pero se va a quedar nadando entre los cientos que aparecen en unos números o una saga y se acaban. Creo.
March 9, 2022
Read on its own, this book is pointless. But as a companion to the Superman/Batman - Who are the Secret Six" volume, its a good read.
I feel the issues in this collection should have been included in either the Secret Six volume of Batman/Superman, or with the "Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen" TPB, as it doesn't make much sense to read it outside the framing of those two stories. DC gotta cash-grab, right?
I feel the issues in this collection should have been included in either the Secret Six volume of Batman/Superman, or with the "Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen" TPB, as it doesn't make much sense to read it outside the framing of those two stories. DC gotta cash-grab, right?
October 29, 2020
Taking the corrupted members of "YOTV: Hell Arisen" and linking to Batman/Superman V1: Who Are the Secret Six?, we see here the origins of the six. Cool backstories, but not essential when having had read those other two Volumes.
Skip it unless you really love those characters or are a "crossover completionist" (like I am).
Skip it unless you really love those characters or are a "crossover completionist" (like I am).
January 11, 2021
I quite liked the Snyder lead-up to this over in the current Justice League series. But. Heroes-turned-to-Villains is my very least favorite comic book trope. And to choose Supergirl for this? Total re-run. She's already been turned into a villain as a Red Lantern. And not all that long ago. So this one is a big disappointment.
March 15, 2021
A backgrounder to the Batman/Superman Who are the Secret Six story. Nothing much consequence, but interesting to get some of the backstories of four out of the six characters whom the Batman Who Laughs has infected. As I wind my way through the whole Dark Multiverse stories, I can't help but think they could have come up with a more potent and twisted name for the Batman Who Laughs!
November 5, 2023
An interesting follow-up to The Batman Who Laughs. The Commissioner issue is the best with the Barb interaction. The Scarab issue is a good horror story as well. The art fluctuates since this is one-shots collected. Wouldn't recommend unless you're into the DC Metal storyline.
Read via DC Universe Infinity.
Read via DC Universe Infinity.
July 3, 2020
Estoy harto del Batman que ríe
December 7, 2020
It's a collection. *shrug*
December 26, 2020
Tie ins to a tie in to an event that are pretty okay.
April 18, 2021
A good worlds finest series
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews