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Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #1-4
Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen
DC's "Year of the Villain" leaps into a new phase as the ultimate battle between Lex Luthor and the Batman Who Laughs rages--and the heroes of the DC Universe are forced to take sides in this epic struggle.
Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen ties together some of DC's biggest epics of 2019, including The Batman Who Laughs, Batman/Superman, and DC's "Year of the Villain," which ran across numerous titles. In this collected edition, Lex Luthor faces off against the Batman Who Laughs. On the one side are Luthor's forces of injustice--and on the other are the Batman Who Laughs' agents, known as the Infected...corrupted versions of heroes including Supergirl, Shazam, Commissioner Gordon and others. Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen also sets the stage for the next phase of DC's "Year of the Villain" and beyond.
This title collects the five-issue miniseries Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen.
Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen ties together some of DC's biggest epics of 2019, including The Batman Who Laughs, Batman/Superman, and DC's "Year of the Villain," which ran across numerous titles. In this collected edition, Lex Luthor faces off against the Batman Who Laughs. On the one side are Luthor's forces of injustice--and on the other are the Batman Who Laughs' agents, known as the Infected...corrupted versions of heroes including Supergirl, Shazam, Commissioner Gordon and others. Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen also sets the stage for the next phase of DC's "Year of the Villain" and beyond.
This title collects the five-issue miniseries Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen.
136 pages, Paperback
First published June 9, 2020
17 people are currently reading
209 people want to read
About the author
James Tynion IV
1,665 books1,998 followersPrior to his first professional work, Tynion was a student of Scott Snyder's at Sarah Lawrence College. A few years later, he worked as for Vertigo as Fables editor Shelly Bond's intern. In late 2011, with DC deciding to give Batman (written by Snyder) a back up feature, Tynion was brought in by request of Snyder to script the back ups he had plotted. Tynion would later do the same with the Batman Annual #1, which was also co-plotted by Snyder. Beginning in September 2012, with DC's 0 issue month for the New 52, Tynion will be writing Talon, with art by Guillem March. In early 2013 it was announced that he'd take over writing duties for Red Hood and the Outlaws in April.
Tynion is also currently one of the writers in a rotating team in the weekly Batman Eternal series.
Tynion is also currently one of the writers in a rotating team in the weekly Batman Eternal series.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
July 28, 2020
3.5 stars
Not bad.
I'm rarely incredibly impressed with events anymore, and this one is no exception. However, it is definitely a very readable comic.
The gist is that Gum Disease Joker and Lex Luthor go head to head in an effort to take over the multiverse. They'll do this by vying for the spot of right-hand man to Perpetua, the being who created the multiverse and wants to see it go back to her original vision of the universes all being evil...or something like that. <--she's a super-powerful bad guy, that's all you need to know
Alright. Something has happened to the Justice League. I don't personally know what happened because I haven't been keeping up with that title, but it really didn't matter much because I've read enough of this shit to assume none of it is permanent and they'll probably pop out of a portal at the end of this thing and save the day. Or something along those lines.
Point is, this book is all about Luthor, Perpetua, Gingivitis Joker, Joker-Joker, a bunch of good guys infected with whatthehellever this Dark Metal bullshit virus is, a handful of leftover Legion of Doomers, and a cameo appearance by the Crime Syndicate.
Bad guys vs bad guys vs more bad guys.
I liked it.
As events go, this one is fun so far.
Not bad.
I'm rarely incredibly impressed with events anymore, and this one is no exception. However, it is definitely a very readable comic.
The gist is that Gum Disease Joker and Lex Luthor go head to head in an effort to take over the multiverse. They'll do this by vying for the spot of right-hand man to Perpetua, the being who created the multiverse and wants to see it go back to her original vision of the universes all being evil...or something like that. <--she's a super-powerful bad guy, that's all you need to know
Alright. Something has happened to the Justice League. I don't personally know what happened because I haven't been keeping up with that title, but it really didn't matter much because I've read enough of this shit to assume none of it is permanent and they'll probably pop out of a portal at the end of this thing and save the day. Or something along those lines.
Point is, this book is all about Luthor, Perpetua, Gingivitis Joker, Joker-Joker, a bunch of good guys infected with whatthehellever this Dark Metal bullshit virus is, a handful of leftover Legion of Doomers, and a cameo appearance by the Crime Syndicate.
Bad guys vs bad guys vs more bad guys.
I liked it.
As events go, this one is fun so far.
July 1, 2020
With the Justice League out of the way, it's Lex Luthor versus the Batman Who Laughs. This was cool, lots of twists and turns as they try to outmaneuver one another. The art by Steve Epting and Javier Fernandez is pretty great. The only caveat is that it builds off a lot of other books. I'd definitely read The Batman Who Laughs and Justice League, Volume 5: The Doom War before this.
June 22, 2020
Wow and I thought Metal was meh and No Justice was Garbo. This is pretty bad.
I'll give it a point for the art. Not too bad. I also think the set up of Lex vs The Batman who Laughs is actually a great idea. But then it starts rolling and you can guess everything that'll happen. Who's going to fight who, who's going to win in which way, and the ending...what in the flying fuck was that shit?
DC hasn't had a decent event in years while Marvel has been putting out good to GREAT ones. DC, fix yourself please. A 2 out of 5.
I'll give it a point for the art. Not too bad. I also think the set up of Lex vs The Batman who Laughs is actually a great idea. But then it starts rolling and you can guess everything that'll happen. Who's going to fight who, who's going to win in which way, and the ending...what in the flying fuck was that shit?
DC hasn't had a decent event in years while Marvel has been putting out good to GREAT ones. DC, fix yourself please. A 2 out of 5.
October 28, 2021
This was pretty fun.
Lex transforms himself into the Apex Predator and we see Joker and Lex going at it and they go to war to determine who will win and whose the top Apex P and well its interesting seeing Luthor vs BWOL and well his villains vs the infected heroes and its interesting seeing the way he takes down the secret six and even has a great encounter with Joker and its a disturbing one but really well done and I loved that aspect and finally what happens when one of them wins and enter Perpetua's final Judgement.
Its an interesting volume for sure and has its moments but also has flaws with so much exposition and not much action which it should have been about. Regardless it sets the stage for BWOL to play a big part in death metal and the art is decent and its one of those books you read once just to get into the whole event flow.
Lex transforms himself into the Apex Predator and we see Joker and Lex going at it and they go to war to determine who will win and whose the top Apex P and well its interesting seeing Luthor vs BWOL and well his villains vs the infected heroes and its interesting seeing the way he takes down the secret six and even has a great encounter with Joker and its a disturbing one but really well done and I loved that aspect and finally what happens when one of them wins and enter Perpetua's final Judgement.
Its an interesting volume for sure and has its moments but also has flaws with so much exposition and not much action which it should have been about. Regardless it sets the stage for BWOL to play a big part in death metal and the art is decent and its one of those books you read once just to get into the whole event flow.
December 20, 2021
The Joker and BWL are definitely the highlight of this volume. I thought this took place after the second Scott Snyder Justice League hardcover but after reading this I think I’m missing something which might’ve taken some of the enjoyment out of this for me.
March 18, 2025
Who can better stand against a villain that has been undefeated by the Justice league but another villain, an not any villain but a super charged Lex Luthor?
With the Batman who laughs with the dark multiverse power and the Secret Six on one side, there comes Apex Lex infested with super powers by Perpetua, on a mission to bring down the Batman who laughs, but the trick here is, the winner is the one who loses in the end.
Building on the Metal arc and the subsequent stories, it is necessary to read beside the main Metal arc, the stories of Batman/ Superman: who are the secret six? and Year of the Villain: The infected (which I read), and Scott Snyder's Justice League, which I haven't come to read yet, and the references to it in the book were too much of a spoiler..
As I read on, book after book, the main story line keeps leaving more and more branching story lines, and each book seems to end with a choice of which line to follow up on, so far, there is the path to continue Batman/ Superman, and now the Snyder JL, that I either need to pause and go through or continue the Metal arc and read FlashForward next.
MiM
With the Batman who laughs with the dark multiverse power and the Secret Six on one side, there comes Apex Lex infested with super powers by Perpetua, on a mission to bring down the Batman who laughs, but the trick here is, the winner is the one who loses in the end.
Building on the Metal arc and the subsequent stories, it is necessary to read beside the main Metal arc, the stories of Batman/ Superman: who are the secret six? and Year of the Villain: The infected (which I read), and Scott Snyder's Justice League, which I haven't come to read yet, and the references to it in the book were too much of a spoiler..
As I read on, book after book, the main story line keeps leaving more and more branching story lines, and each book seems to end with a choice of which line to follow up on, so far, there is the path to continue Batman/ Superman, and now the Snyder JL, that I either need to pause and go through or continue the Metal arc and read FlashForward next.
MiM
July 10, 2020
Pretty Good. Setting Aside the terrible writing Bendis is doing on Superman this was a great prelude to Death Metal. I always enjoy Tynion's writing and this was no exception. The lead up to this epic match up between Lex and the Batman who Laughs was handle pretty well. This is definitely not a read you can jump into if you haven't been following much of the DC comics current continuity. Which some may say is a jumbled mess at this point. I still think that Doomsday Clock was the best event comic series DC comics has produced. Heck I just loved the direction DC rebirth was moving the universe. Dark Nights: Metal should have been the event that happens after DC Rebirth. DC Comics kind rushed into the whole Dark Multiverse thing. That doesn't mean that this Year of the Villain lead up to Death Metal did not have great ideas. To me the whole leviathan story line was pointless and didn't need to be included in this connection. I really enjoyed the four issue Hell Arisen story. The artwork was not bad but came across a bit rushed to me however. After reading this I am already to jump into Death Metal. DC Comics I think is doing a much better job than Marvel making things matter in their universe. Everything just feels a bit more cohesive. Their is still a lot for the first time reader of DC comics to follow if they want to get the whole lead up to Death Metal. Here is a concise list of what readers should read to be caught up with the DC universe: Doomsday Clock, Dark Nights: Metal, Justice League: No Justice,The Batman Who Laughs, Justice League, Volume 1: The Totality- Justice League, Volume 5: The Doom War, Justice League Dark, Volume 1: The Last Age of Magic-Justice League Dark, Vol. 3: The Witching War & Tales from the DC Dark Multiverse.
June 13, 2020
The Year Of The Villain culminates here! Lex Luthor has only a few moves left before his and Perpetua's plan can come to fruition, but only one man stands in his way - the Batman Who Laughs! But this twisted Batman isn't alone, and his Infected may be the ones that spell the end for Lex's plans once and for all. Villains clash, worlds change, and the stage is set for Dark Nights: Death Metal!
God, I loved this book. When I saw it was only going to be four issues, I was disappointed, but they're ram-packed with developments and epic moments that will have you cackling in glee. We've had a glut of hero-on-hero events over the past 15 years (thank you, Civil War), but villain-on-villain is a lot fewer and further between, despite being more fun. Neither Apex Lex nor the Batman Who Laughs play by the rules, and it's so much fun to see them try to outwit each other, especially given how high Lex has risen lately. Watching him fall is a lot of fun, and the ultimate ending of the story feels like a logical conclusion despite not being just as simple as 'this one wins'.
The art is mostly by Steve Epting, in some rare DC work, so of course the book looks gorgeous. He gets a hand from Javi Fernandez in the latter half of the story, and the two work surprisingly well together, which you wouldn't expect given how Epting's renderings are so crisp and clear while Fernandez deals in darker, scratchier visuals.
Year Of The Villain is just plain comic book madness. Where else can you see a super-powered Lex Luthor battling a twisted Joker version of Batman with the fate of the Multiverse at stake?
God, I loved this book. When I saw it was only going to be four issues, I was disappointed, but they're ram-packed with developments and epic moments that will have you cackling in glee. We've had a glut of hero-on-hero events over the past 15 years (thank you, Civil War), but villain-on-villain is a lot fewer and further between, despite being more fun. Neither Apex Lex nor the Batman Who Laughs play by the rules, and it's so much fun to see them try to outwit each other, especially given how high Lex has risen lately. Watching him fall is a lot of fun, and the ultimate ending of the story feels like a logical conclusion despite not being just as simple as 'this one wins'.
The art is mostly by Steve Epting, in some rare DC work, so of course the book looks gorgeous. He gets a hand from Javi Fernandez in the latter half of the story, and the two work surprisingly well together, which you wouldn't expect given how Epting's renderings are so crisp and clear while Fernandez deals in darker, scratchier visuals.
Year Of The Villain is just plain comic book madness. Where else can you see a super-powered Lex Luthor battling a twisted Joker version of Batman with the fate of the Multiverse at stake?
December 28, 2020
Consider this miniseries the true conclusion to Tynion and Snyder's Justice League run as it brings together both parallel stories that they both have been building: the Totality/Perpetua storyline and the Dark Multiverse/Infected story. Now that , Perpetua and Apex Lex set their sights on remaking the multiverse in the image of Doom. But there's one thing standing in the way, the improper existence of the twisted Batman Who Laughs. So Perpetua sends Lex to stop this evil Batman from infecting everything with dark energy.
This book really does a great job and building and enhancing Lex Luthor's motivation for what he's been doing the whole time, and it makes me wish even more that there was a stronger focus on this in the Justice League run. I also loved the action scenes here, especially the awesome sequence where Lex has to battle the Infected Six without his Apex powers and still beats the shit out of them. The fact that he believably beats these overpowered fighters shows how smart and resourceful he actually is. It all ends on an interesting cliffhanger and is a must read as the story will flow into the next big event: Death Metal!
This book really does a great job and building and enhancing Lex Luthor's motivation for what he's been doing the whole time, and it makes me wish even more that there was a stronger focus on this in the Justice League run. I also loved the action scenes here, especially the awesome sequence where Lex has to battle the Infected Six without his Apex powers and still beats the shit out of them. The fact that he believably beats these overpowered fighters shows how smart and resourceful he actually is. It all ends on an interesting cliffhanger and is a must read as the story will flow into the next big event: Death Metal!
June 13, 2020
The art is great, the dialogue solid, but this one really needs the context of knowing the current major goings on in the DC universe, from the METAL storyline to the ongoing Justice League run. Even then it's really just a pair of big bads measuring off against one another as a bump on the road to the upcoming DEATH METAL event. Not to say it wasn't decent, or readable, bump it up another half a star if you're familiar with the surrounding events.
July 23, 2021
Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen collects issues 1-4 of the series and Year of the Villain Special 1 written by James Tynion IV, Scott Snydet, and Brian Michael Bendis with art by Steve Epting, Javier Fernandez, among others.
With the Justice League defeated, Lex Luthor sets his sights on the Batman Who Laughs.
This book ties in to a bunch of different arcs and stories but I just couldn't get into it. After close to 40 issues of setting Lex Luthor up as the big baddy next to Perpetua, he is swept aside at the end to set up Death Metal. That felt like a cop out. Curious to see where the story goes in Death Metal.
With the Justice League defeated, Lex Luthor sets his sights on the Batman Who Laughs.
This book ties in to a bunch of different arcs and stories but I just couldn't get into it. After close to 40 issues of setting Lex Luthor up as the big baddy next to Perpetua, he is swept aside at the end to set up Death Metal. That felt like a cop out. Curious to see where the story goes in Death Metal.
March 8, 2021
I really enjoyed this. I think Perpetua is intriguing and awesome. It was fun to watch The Man Who Laughs and Luthor go toe to toe. A fun villaincentric story.
April 17, 2021
This is the perfect culmination of so many of DC’s stories during the Year of the Villain event. Luthor’s battle with the Batman Who Laughs makes for one of the biggest villain fights in DC Comics history, at least for the villains of the multiverse. The scary reality of how far the Batman Who Laugh’s dark infection has spread among the DC Universe is explored here, as is the power that Luthor has finally achieved. The ultimate villain is crowned, and the fate of the multiverse hangs in the balance by the book’s end.
April 18, 2020
The epic showdown between Apex Lex and The Batman Who Laughs was disappointing. It should have been better. Even if this book is a tease of the things to come for the DC Universe. The confrontation between Lex and TBWL was not epic nor memorable. Enjoyable, but That's it.
May 12, 2024
Okay so I'm reading some things out of order, and I'm halfway through the Death Metal series and I should have read this first. In any case, in this series we see Perpetua teamed up with Lex Luthor as they battle the Batman Who Laughs and his Infected heroes. It's basically bad guys vs. bad guys, but in this case Luthor may be the lesser of two evils. Of course by the time things end up, it doesn't look good for the good guys. And that leads into Death Metal.
September 14, 2020
Not bad, but the story and artwork felt rushed.
January 25, 2024
After reading Snyder's Justice League, this feels pretty flat. It's an ok thing, a lot of punching that could have lasted a couple of issues less, but it has a cool ending. You can read a summary and it's pretty much the same if you have been following Perpetua
May 30, 2023
A very generous 3/5
February 18, 2025
I’m not the biggest fan of these large event stories and this one didn’t really change my mind on that. Lots of complicated comics science/lore and not as much character stuff. As soon as stuff starts to get multi-versal in comics stories I tend to get less interested. Loved seeing Mercy and Monsieur Mallah and the Brain for a second. And as always, not enough Supergirl. 😂
July 4, 2020
For that much set up, the confrontation between Luthor and the Batman Who Laughs is really rushed. Needs a lot of context from other DC books to truly get into, I think.
April 19, 2021
There are 2 types of DC comic fans.
Those that hate multiverse reboot events.
Those that love them.
I personally LOVE them.
Yup Flashpoint and the New52 reboot. LOVE.
REBIRTH Loved
Now we got the Metal, Death Metal, Future State and finally Infinite Frontier reboot.
The multiverse is easily one of the most exciting and confusing components...
Metal, Nth Metal is an important part.
Geoff Johns JSA Omnibus's were when I think Nth metal firsts gets mentioned... or at least this is the earliest I saw of it.
Some how I feel Final Crisis and Batman's "death" in that story. And later The crazy mind bending Return of Bruce Wayne are the initial puzzle pieces that bring us Dark Knights: Metal... this is both a journey into Bruce's mind and a literal journey into the Dark Multiverse unlocks a component of reality which mirrors and opposes the Multiverse we have come to know.
Now while I've been following all this for a while I've read many books in between, so my memory is a bit foggy, but this is all so fun I know I'll reread it all, and appreciate it with a more comprehensive understanding.
Prior to reading Year of the Villian Hell Arisen I just finished Justice League Vol 5 Justice/Doom War. I'd also read JL Vol 1 The Totality so I had just enough info that I don't feel lost, but not enough to feel like I totally get what's happening.
The good news is I like it all enough that reading these other volumes is gonna happen.
Justice League Volume 2: Graveyard of the Gods
Justice League Volume 3: Hawkworld
Justice League Vol. 4: The Sixth Dimension
This will at least aid in further bring me up to speed. But the reading orders I looked up online shows many many other issues I could pick up.
As for as Hell Arisen. Lex is trying to take down The Batman Who Laughs, but by the end we realize there is a lot more to the Mother of the Multiverse's Perpetua's plans then meets the eye.
Doom War was more exciting but Hell Arisen was one book recommended to read before Death Metal, so it's worth it since DM is my next book, then on to Infinite Frontier #0.
I'm definitely skipping some stuff in between but often times I'll read things a bit out of order jumping forward in volumes and then back tracking if I like what I've read.
By the time I'm ready to read it all a second time I've long forgotten the conclusions.
This is an easy 5 stars for me cause I'm loving the Metal/Infinite Frontier event, this is an important part. Check out Hell Arisen!
Those that hate multiverse reboot events.
Those that love them.
I personally LOVE them.
Yup Flashpoint and the New52 reboot. LOVE.
REBIRTH Loved
Now we got the Metal, Death Metal, Future State and finally Infinite Frontier reboot.
The multiverse is easily one of the most exciting and confusing components...
Metal, Nth Metal is an important part.
Geoff Johns JSA Omnibus's were when I think Nth metal firsts gets mentioned... or at least this is the earliest I saw of it.
Some how I feel Final Crisis and Batman's "death" in that story. And later The crazy mind bending Return of Bruce Wayne are the initial puzzle pieces that bring us Dark Knights: Metal... this is both a journey into Bruce's mind and a literal journey into the Dark Multiverse unlocks a component of reality which mirrors and opposes the Multiverse we have come to know.
Now while I've been following all this for a while I've read many books in between, so my memory is a bit foggy, but this is all so fun I know I'll reread it all, and appreciate it with a more comprehensive understanding.
Prior to reading Year of the Villian Hell Arisen I just finished Justice League Vol 5 Justice/Doom War. I'd also read JL Vol 1 The Totality so I had just enough info that I don't feel lost, but not enough to feel like I totally get what's happening.
The good news is I like it all enough that reading these other volumes is gonna happen.
Justice League Volume 2: Graveyard of the Gods
Justice League Volume 3: Hawkworld
Justice League Vol. 4: The Sixth Dimension
This will at least aid in further bring me up to speed. But the reading orders I looked up online shows many many other issues I could pick up.
As for as Hell Arisen. Lex is trying to take down The Batman Who Laughs, but by the end we realize there is a lot more to the Mother of the Multiverse's Perpetua's plans then meets the eye.
Doom War was more exciting but Hell Arisen was one book recommended to read before Death Metal, so it's worth it since DM is my next book, then on to Infinite Frontier #0.
I'm definitely skipping some stuff in between but often times I'll read things a bit out of order jumping forward in volumes and then back tracking if I like what I've read.
By the time I'm ready to read it all a second time I've long forgotten the conclusions.
This is an easy 5 stars for me cause I'm loving the Metal/Infinite Frontier event, this is an important part. Check out Hell Arisen!
May 17, 2021
**I've read WAAAY more than I've been able to review, so.... time for some knee-jerk reactions!**
- Lex Luthor vs. The Batman Who Laughs and all of the Justice League heroes he's turned? It's every bit as action-packed and twisted as you would imagine.
- Hmm... so maybe Lex is starting to see that partnering with a goddess of Doom isn't a great plan. I'm curious what his part will be moving forward now that he's been scorned by Perpetua.
- Yes, I still think all this cosmic stuff is "too much"--more grounded stories (no pun intended) often feel bigger because more time is taken to delve into the characters and the intricacies of the plot, rather than having to focus on just explaining what the heck is even going on.
- That said, the whole doom vs. justice theme is an interesting one, and this glimpse of doom slowly taking over was a fast-paced and engaging read.
- Lex Luthor vs. The Batman Who Laughs and all of the Justice League heroes he's turned? It's every bit as action-packed and twisted as you would imagine.
- Hmm... so maybe Lex is starting to see that partnering with a goddess of Doom isn't a great plan. I'm curious what his part will be moving forward now that he's been scorned by Perpetua.
- Yes, I still think all this cosmic stuff is "too much"--more grounded stories (no pun intended) often feel bigger because more time is taken to delve into the characters and the intricacies of the plot, rather than having to focus on just explaining what the heck is even going on.
- That said, the whole doom vs. justice theme is an interesting one, and this glimpse of doom slowly taking over was a fast-paced and engaging read.
June 5, 2022
This mini-series is a prelude to the Death Metal event. It ties together plot threads from Scott Snyder's Justice League run and the title-hopping Infected storyline. Despite having a top writer and top artist at the helm, this volume feels more like an exercise is connecting dots than a compelling tale in its own right. Reading Hell Arisen isn't required to enjoy Death Metal but knowing how it concludes can only help.
August 19, 2024
Apex Lex goes up against the "Batman Who Laughs" and his army of infected superheroes. While I don't care about BWL there are a lot of great Lex Luthor moments here!
I feel as though Tynion understands the character. Luthor's greatest asset is his genius.
"It was never my powers that were going to kill you. It was mind."
And the only thing that gives him pause in fighting the infected superheroes is when Kara Zor-El says: "You know, he admires you, deep down. My cousin. Superman."
Lex's right-hand woman, Mercy Graves, comes back and she is excellent. I like how she's not all-in on Lex's new monster look and powers, and she tells him so. Lex doesn't just reject this out of hand. He listens to her, he makes himself appear as he used to for her sake, and he tries to convince her of what he's doing. I just really like seeing Lex with a friend.
Also, through Mercy we finally get some acknowledgement of the fact that Lex was a hero before Scott Snyder's Justice League run!
Thank you, Mercy, for remembering:
"You were the smartest person on the planet.
You ran one of the biggest companies that ever existed. You saved the world and joined the Justice League.
You were the most human person I'd ever met in all the most horrible, infuriating, incredible ways."
And Lex's response is also in-character and provides some insight into his heel-turn in the pages of Justice League:
"What good is the smartest man alive in a world where idiot farm boys can punch their way through mountains?
When representatives of an alien police force sit next to the children of gods and the kings and queens of myth?
Can you possibly imagine what it's like to excel beyond any measure of a man, and still find yourself short in the face of gods? Held down by their impossible power? Made to feel small?"
The breaking point for him: the Crime Syndicate (evil versions of Superman and the Justice League from a parallel reality that he defeated back in Forever Evil) were simply restored by an indifferent multiverse. He feels nothing he does as a human being matters in the face of these cosmic events with super-powered players and he's kind of proven right.
In the end of this volume he even saves all of the heroes infected by BWL's dark multiverse energy and once again the heroes simply don't care.
I was glad to see Lex finally break free of Perpetua's influence and be reverted to his human self at the end of this volume.
This TPB, in focusing on Lex, was able to give him much more depth than was seen in the Justice League title leading up to it. I'm really glad that we got this, some acknowledgement of his time as "Super-Lex," and some further explanation of why he chose "Doom."
I feel as though Tynion understands the character. Luthor's greatest asset is his genius.
"It was never my powers that were going to kill you. It was mind."
And the only thing that gives him pause in fighting the infected superheroes is when Kara Zor-El says: "You know, he admires you, deep down. My cousin. Superman."
Lex's right-hand woman, Mercy Graves, comes back and she is excellent. I like how she's not all-in on Lex's new monster look and powers, and she tells him so. Lex doesn't just reject this out of hand. He listens to her, he makes himself appear as he used to for her sake, and he tries to convince her of what he's doing. I just really like seeing Lex with a friend.
Also, through Mercy we finally get some acknowledgement of the fact that Lex was a hero before Scott Snyder's Justice League run!
Thank you, Mercy, for remembering:
"You were the smartest person on the planet.
You ran one of the biggest companies that ever existed. You saved the world and joined the Justice League.
You were the most human person I'd ever met in all the most horrible, infuriating, incredible ways."
And Lex's response is also in-character and provides some insight into his heel-turn in the pages of Justice League:
"What good is the smartest man alive in a world where idiot farm boys can punch their way through mountains?
When representatives of an alien police force sit next to the children of gods and the kings and queens of myth?
Can you possibly imagine what it's like to excel beyond any measure of a man, and still find yourself short in the face of gods? Held down by their impossible power? Made to feel small?"
The breaking point for him: the Crime Syndicate (evil versions of Superman and the Justice League from a parallel reality that he defeated back in Forever Evil) were simply restored by an indifferent multiverse. He feels nothing he does as a human being matters in the face of these cosmic events with super-powered players and he's kind of proven right.
In the end of this volume he even saves all of the heroes infected by BWL's dark multiverse energy and once again the heroes simply don't care.
I was glad to see Lex finally break free of Perpetua's influence and be reverted to his human self at the end of this volume.
This TPB, in focusing on Lex, was able to give him much more depth than was seen in the Justice League title leading up to it. I'm really glad that we got this, some acknowledgement of his time as "Super-Lex," and some further explanation of why he chose "Doom."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 21, 2021
Synopsis: The Justice League are far out in the universe trying to save worlds from Perpetua as they make their way back to earth. Meanwhile, Perpetua sends Lex to take care of the Batman Who Laughs since his dark matter energy is a threat to her own energy. As Lex begins his search, he is attacked by the six heroes TBWL infected in the Infected volume. He defeats them and escapes.
Next, Lex takes up in one of his safe houses at Mercy Graves' house where he analyzes samples he took from the Secret Six. He believes he can find a cure with a clean sample (all of the samples he took were for metahumans) so he goes off to JL HQ to get one from Jim Gordon. It's a trap, however, since TBWL has infected most of the remaining JL members. Lex escapes again, though, with the help of the Joker.
The Joker lets Lex take a sample of the toxin in his heart and from there Lex deduces that the TBWL's toxin is warped as it has dark matter energy imbued into it. Lex returns to JL HQ with a team of villains to fight the heroes while he confronts TBWL.
Lex injects TBWL with his cure and all the heroes revert to normal. Lex says that TBWL will too but this isn't mentioned again. Lex takes TBWL back to Godhead and presents him to Perpetua. Of course, TBWL gives Perpetua some information that Lex was not aware of, like the Justice League still being around. After Lex has an outburst, Perpetua strips him of his new superhuman abilities and accepts TBWL's offer to be her right hand man.
Review: Well, who saw that coming? I'm sure only everyone. It was only a matter of time before TBWL usurped Lex from Perpetua's good side, though his Lex-ish outburst didn't help. And I hate to say it, but I’m glad Lex got the boot. He’s been riding on his high horse for too long and I was getting sick of his monologues.
The team up with the Joker was fun - I absolutely love that the Joker can’t stand the Batman Who Laughs (same, girl). I’m kinda shocked Lex hasn’t tried to find a cure before this point, I guess he was distracted. I doubt the cure is going to stick and it kinda bugs me that it doesn’t come back up after Lex injects TBWL.
Aside from that, not much else happens in this book. There’s a couple of side plots with Leviathan but I have no idea how that fits into what’s going on. It seems like too much, honestly. They keep building Leviathan up but how am I supposed to take them seriously when a much bigger threat is lingering in the background?
All and all, I think this is probably a should read before you head into Dark Nights: Death Metal. It’s not great, but it’s much better than the Infected volume.
Next, Lex takes up in one of his safe houses at Mercy Graves' house where he analyzes samples he took from the Secret Six. He believes he can find a cure with a clean sample (all of the samples he took were for metahumans) so he goes off to JL HQ to get one from Jim Gordon. It's a trap, however, since TBWL has infected most of the remaining JL members. Lex escapes again, though, with the help of the Joker.
The Joker lets Lex take a sample of the toxin in his heart and from there Lex deduces that the TBWL's toxin is warped as it has dark matter energy imbued into it. Lex returns to JL HQ with a team of villains to fight the heroes while he confronts TBWL.
Lex injects TBWL with his cure and all the heroes revert to normal. Lex says that TBWL will too but this isn't mentioned again. Lex takes TBWL back to Godhead and presents him to Perpetua. Of course, TBWL gives Perpetua some information that Lex was not aware of, like the Justice League still being around. After Lex has an outburst, Perpetua strips him of his new superhuman abilities and accepts TBWL's offer to be her right hand man.
Review: Well, who saw that coming? I'm sure only everyone. It was only a matter of time before TBWL usurped Lex from Perpetua's good side, though his Lex-ish outburst didn't help. And I hate to say it, but I’m glad Lex got the boot. He’s been riding on his high horse for too long and I was getting sick of his monologues.
The team up with the Joker was fun - I absolutely love that the Joker can’t stand the Batman Who Laughs (same, girl). I’m kinda shocked Lex hasn’t tried to find a cure before this point, I guess he was distracted. I doubt the cure is going to stick and it kinda bugs me that it doesn’t come back up after Lex injects TBWL.
Aside from that, not much else happens in this book. There’s a couple of side plots with Leviathan but I have no idea how that fits into what’s going on. It seems like too much, honestly. They keep building Leviathan up but how am I supposed to take them seriously when a much bigger threat is lingering in the background?
All and all, I think this is probably a should read before you head into Dark Nights: Death Metal. It’s not great, but it’s much better than the Infected volume.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 6, 2022
Bueno tirando a mediocre.
El año del villano Hell Arisen es un compilatorio que reune historias de algunos de los villanos más conocidos de DC ademas de incluir los 4 números de la mini serie Hell Arisen.
La historia es que el multiverso esta colapsando y mientras que la liga tiene las manos ocupadas salvando a la población de planetas enteros, la tierra esta siendo desestabilizada por un grupo de villanos que han sido bendecidos con un don cortesía de Lex Luthor que a su vez es el lacayo de la Diosa Perpetua, una entidad cósmica que en el pasado remoto creó el multiverso pero que no estando satisfecha con el resultado quiere reiniciar todo y crear un multiverso sin principios de bondad y moralidad y por su puesto sin la terrible falla que fue su espejo: el multiverso oscuro.
La trama suena bien pero la ejecución fue por demás desastrosa, las historias individuales de los villanos como Lex y Siniestro estuvieron OK pero por ejemplo la del Joker parece una historia no relacionada con el evento, la de Black Mask se sintió aburrida y torpe, la de Riddler solamente fue un recordatorio de lo patético que fue el personaje en el pasado y la de Harley fue básicamente los Oscars para los malos, apenas relleno y como ya se habrán dado cuenta hay mucho villano de Batman aqui y casi ningun otro del resto de héroes ¿En serio en el plan maestro de Luthor, el creyó que sería buena idea patrocinar a estos villanos sin habilidades poderosas en vez de no se, Black Adam, Doomsday o algun adversario mágico de la justice league dark? Y bueno ya hablando del evento en sí, Hell Arisen pues nada, al Batman que Rie no le gusta la idea de que eliminen el multiverso oscuro y son 4 numeros en los que Lex y el Murciélago Oscuro se ponen a sacar Ases bajo la manga "aaaaa no esperabas esto Lexy" "aaaa pero yo esperaba que tu esperaras que yo no esperaría eso que hiciste Batman" y asi sucesivamente, una pelea de egos básicamente.
El arte no fue nada impresionante, es colorida, es visualmente atractiva y en algunas historias como la del Joker me pareció muy buena pero no se, creo que la super estilización casi toon le quita seriedad a que el multiverso se esta llendo al carajo.
¿Recomendaría este libro? La respuesta corta es no, la respuesta larga es si pero solo si ya te leíste como mínimo Dark Knights Metal, The Batman who laughts y si y solo si vas a leer Dark Knights Death Metal que es el siguiente evento y al que Hell Arisen sirvió de preludio, si no es el caso evita este libro, admito que me diverti, que algunos numeros fueron interesantes y que el ritmo es ameno y la historia esta bien, pero no creo que el año del villano aporte nada a DC como un evento bueno o memorable.
El año del villano Hell Arisen es un compilatorio que reune historias de algunos de los villanos más conocidos de DC ademas de incluir los 4 números de la mini serie Hell Arisen.
La historia es que el multiverso esta colapsando y mientras que la liga tiene las manos ocupadas salvando a la población de planetas enteros, la tierra esta siendo desestabilizada por un grupo de villanos que han sido bendecidos con un don cortesía de Lex Luthor que a su vez es el lacayo de la Diosa Perpetua, una entidad cósmica que en el pasado remoto creó el multiverso pero que no estando satisfecha con el resultado quiere reiniciar todo y crear un multiverso sin principios de bondad y moralidad y por su puesto sin la terrible falla que fue su espejo: el multiverso oscuro.
La trama suena bien pero la ejecución fue por demás desastrosa, las historias individuales de los villanos como Lex y Siniestro estuvieron OK pero por ejemplo la del Joker parece una historia no relacionada con el evento, la de Black Mask se sintió aburrida y torpe, la de Riddler solamente fue un recordatorio de lo patético que fue el personaje en el pasado y la de Harley fue básicamente los Oscars para los malos, apenas relleno y como ya se habrán dado cuenta hay mucho villano de Batman aqui y casi ningun otro del resto de héroes ¿En serio en el plan maestro de Luthor, el creyó que sería buena idea patrocinar a estos villanos sin habilidades poderosas en vez de no se, Black Adam, Doomsday o algun adversario mágico de la justice league dark? Y bueno ya hablando del evento en sí, Hell Arisen pues nada, al Batman que Rie no le gusta la idea de que eliminen el multiverso oscuro y son 4 numeros en los que Lex y el Murciélago Oscuro se ponen a sacar Ases bajo la manga "aaaaa no esperabas esto Lexy" "aaaa pero yo esperaba que tu esperaras que yo no esperaría eso que hiciste Batman" y asi sucesivamente, una pelea de egos básicamente.
El arte no fue nada impresionante, es colorida, es visualmente atractiva y en algunas historias como la del Joker me pareció muy buena pero no se, creo que la super estilización casi toon le quita seriedad a que el multiverso se esta llendo al carajo.
¿Recomendaría este libro? La respuesta corta es no, la respuesta larga es si pero solo si ya te leíste como mínimo Dark Knights Metal, The Batman who laughts y si y solo si vas a leer Dark Knights Death Metal que es el siguiente evento y al que Hell Arisen sirvió de preludio, si no es el caso evita este libro, admito que me diverti, que algunos numeros fueron interesantes y que el ritmo es ameno y la historia esta bien, pero no creo que el año del villano aporte nada a DC como un evento bueno o memorable.
June 16, 2022
Cosmic Lex Luthor vs The Batman Who Laughs has been going on in the background of the main Batman vs Batman Who Laughs story since the end of Dark Nights: Metal. It's conceptionally fun to pit the biggest Superman villain against the biggest Batman villain, but the DC Universe has continuously pushed all their characters powers to Infinite for the last thirty years. We've seen Brainiac Luthor, President Luthor, Luthor with a Lantern Ring, who cares that now he has been powered by some Grant Morrisonesque Villain From The Beginning Of The Universe?
Sure, he has a plan. Obviously the plan is going to fail in the end, even if he sort of kind of maybe is I suppose the good guy for a minute or two in this story. He is destined to fail. That's his function in the DC Universe. Therefore, he's never a real threat.
The Batman Who Laughs is the character destined to not succeed but fail upwards. Every time his schemes fall apart but something bigger comes along and makes him a bigger threat. Not an interesting one anymore, but a more powerful one.
The only part of the Batman Who Laughs mythos that I'm still interested in is The Joker's role. He wants The Batman Who Laughs destroyed more than Batman or any of the other heroes. I'm not sure there are any writers left at DC talented enough to take this story and make it interesting again (The Batman Who Laughs was the only actually good story involving the character), but I have my fingers crossed.
If you really like Lex Luthor stories or the Batman Who Laughs, this coule be totally for you. Tynion is a good writer with a strong sense of dialogue and some interesting ideas. I just think we're about forty years past What If The Bad Guys Did Something Good being enough of a story to hold a reader's attention.
Sure, he has a plan. Obviously the plan is going to fail in the end, even if he sort of kind of maybe is I suppose the good guy for a minute or two in this story. He is destined to fail. That's his function in the DC Universe. Therefore, he's never a real threat.
The Batman Who Laughs is the character destined to not succeed but fail upwards. Every time his schemes fall apart but something bigger comes along and makes him a bigger threat. Not an interesting one anymore, but a more powerful one.
The only part of the Batman Who Laughs mythos that I'm still interested in is The Joker's role. He wants The Batman Who Laughs destroyed more than Batman or any of the other heroes. I'm not sure there are any writers left at DC talented enough to take this story and make it interesting again (The Batman Who Laughs was the only actually good story involving the character), but I have my fingers crossed.
If you really like Lex Luthor stories or the Batman Who Laughs, this coule be totally for you. Tynion is a good writer with a strong sense of dialogue and some interesting ideas. I just think we're about forty years past What If The Bad Guys Did Something Good being enough of a story to hold a reader's attention.
September 21, 2020
Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen is a four-issue limited series published by DC Comics. The series focuses on the battle between The Batman Who Laughs and the Apex Lex, leading directly into the events of Dark Nights: Death Metal, the sequel to Dark Nights: Metal. Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen collects all four issues of the 2020 limited series.
Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen lays out a compelling conflict between Lex Luthor and the Batman Who Laughs in order to be closer to Perpetua, the first creator and the mother of the Over-Monitor, Anti-Monitor, the World Forger, and the most feared being in the greater Omniverse.
James Tynion IV penned the entire trade paperback. For the most part, it was written moderately well. Tynion has written a wonderful battle of wills taking place between Lex Luthor and the Batman Who Laughs. Unfortunately, while Lex Luthor and the Batman Who Laughs are great to read, every other character underperforms.
Steve Epting (Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #1–2, 4) and Javier Fernández (Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #3) is the penciler for the limited series. Since Epting was the main penciler, the artistic flow of the trade paperback flowed exceptionally well. However, Fernández's penciling style is rather distinct from Epting and disrupted the artistic flow slightly.
All in all, Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen is a somewhat well written and constructed, albeit poorly executed limited series that pits The Batman Who Laughs and the Apex Lex, which causes hell around them.
Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen lays out a compelling conflict between Lex Luthor and the Batman Who Laughs in order to be closer to Perpetua, the first creator and the mother of the Over-Monitor, Anti-Monitor, the World Forger, and the most feared being in the greater Omniverse.
James Tynion IV penned the entire trade paperback. For the most part, it was written moderately well. Tynion has written a wonderful battle of wills taking place between Lex Luthor and the Batman Who Laughs. Unfortunately, while Lex Luthor and the Batman Who Laughs are great to read, every other character underperforms.
Steve Epting (Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #1–2, 4) and Javier Fernández (Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #3) is the penciler for the limited series. Since Epting was the main penciler, the artistic flow of the trade paperback flowed exceptionally well. However, Fernández's penciling style is rather distinct from Epting and disrupted the artistic flow slightly.
All in all, Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen is a somewhat well written and constructed, albeit poorly executed limited series that pits The Batman Who Laughs and the Apex Lex, which causes hell around them.
October 13, 2020
OK... after finishing this, I realize that I need to read Justice League Vol 5. Hoping after finishing that, the parts I didn't get will make sense. Usually don't do that...
Picking up with the end of the Event Leviathan stuff as well as continuing all the Perpetua stuff from the Justice League books, we see here that Luthor (apparently having sold out the Legion of Doom) is now evolved via a power-up from Perpetua, and is helping her to conquer the Multiverse. Her next main opposition? The Batman Who Laughs, who has escaped Justice League custody and is trying to infect and convert remaining heroes on Earth to fight against Luthor.
His squad? Kara Zor-El (Supergirl), Scarab (Blue Beetle), Deathbringer (Donna Troy), Sky Tyrant (Hawkman), and King Shazam.
Though Luthor is able to defeat them, the BWL infection continues to spread and he is overwhelmed. Calling upon the Joker for help (someone who didn't join his Legion of Doom), he escapes and learns how to overcome the BWL infection. Finally bringing the Batman Who Laughs directly to Perpetua, Luthor believes his troubles are over. A mix of hubris, insubordination, and some very cunning words from BWL, Luthor is made human again, and BWL becomes Perpetua's right hand guy.
This story leads directly into Dark Nights: Death Metal, which I am very looking forward to.
Overall, very complex and well written, I feel like this was an essential bridging book towards the next huge DC event.
Recommend.
Picking up with the end of the Event Leviathan stuff as well as continuing all the Perpetua stuff from the Justice League books, we see here that Luthor (apparently having sold out the Legion of Doom) is now evolved via a power-up from Perpetua, and is helping her to conquer the Multiverse. Her next main opposition? The Batman Who Laughs, who has escaped Justice League custody and is trying to infect and convert remaining heroes on Earth to fight against Luthor.
His squad? Kara Zor-El (Supergirl), Scarab (Blue Beetle), Deathbringer (Donna Troy), Sky Tyrant (Hawkman), and King Shazam.
Though Luthor is able to defeat them, the BWL infection continues to spread and he is overwhelmed. Calling upon the Joker for help (someone who didn't join his Legion of Doom), he escapes and learns how to overcome the BWL infection. Finally bringing the Batman Who Laughs directly to Perpetua, Luthor believes his troubles are over. A mix of hubris, insubordination, and some very cunning words from BWL, Luthor is made human again, and BWL becomes Perpetua's right hand guy.
This story leads directly into Dark Nights: Death Metal, which I am very looking forward to.
Overall, very complex and well written, I feel like this was an essential bridging book towards the next huge DC event.
Recommend.
July 24, 2021
Fraquíssimo. Isso aqui mostra claramente como funciona a maioria dos quadrinhos, mais preocupação com vendas do que com boas histórias. Assim como aconteceu com a mini-série do Batman que Ri, que só serviu para introduzir o Grim Knight e enrolaram por longos 7 capítulos pra isso. Ou os 6 primeiros capítulos de Batman/Superman somente para introduzir o novo Sexteto Secreto. Aqui é a mesma enrolação. 4 capítulos para somente no final mostrar o que realmente importa para mover a trama que está acontecendo por trás no Universo DC, que é a substituição do Lex pelo Batman Que Ri como braço direito de Perpétua.
Poderiam facilmente ter feito uma única história para introduzir tudo isso de uma forma muito mais direta e sem enrolação antes de Death Metal. Tudo isso que citei somam 17 capítulos que poderiam ser enxugados em uma história de 6 ou 7 capítulos de Prólogo.
Se você é um daqueles que não comem facilmente o bolo que a Marvel e DC cria, leiam somente o último capítulo desta série.
Poderiam facilmente ter feito uma única história para introduzir tudo isso de uma forma muito mais direta e sem enrolação antes de Death Metal. Tudo isso que citei somam 17 capítulos que poderiam ser enxugados em uma história de 6 ou 7 capítulos de Prólogo.
Se você é um daqueles que não comem facilmente o bolo que a Marvel e DC cria, leiam somente o último capítulo desta série.
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