Ricky Church reviews Doomsday Clock #12…
After over two years, much build up and several publishing delays, the grand finale to Geoff Johns and Gary Frank’s epic DC event Doomsday Clock has finally arrived. The ambitious series reaches its conclusion as Superman and Doctor Manhattan come face-to-face as conflict erupts around them, but Johns uses the conflict as a means to examine the longevity, relevance and importance of Superman in both the DC universe and pop culture rather than an excuse for a huge fight. It ends up making Doomsday Clock #12 a more subdued issue than people might have expected, but while not everything stuck to its landing it ends the series on an emotional and powerful note.
Picking up almost right where the previous issue left off, Manhattan and Superman finally meet just as Superman’s enemies converge to either arrest or kill him, though the issue doesn’t actually begin there. Instead, it begins with another flashback to Watchmen, specifically Jon meeting Janey Slater and their relationship up to his accident. While some might question why it begins with information fans surely know and has been discussed previously in this series so far, Johns’ choice to emphasize this meeting on the first page is not without reason as it proves to be the backbone of Manhattan’s inner conflict, one which Superman recognizes instantly.
Ever since the series revealed Manhattan saw a vision of Superman angrily charging at him, there was a build up to a physical confrontation between the two. However, Johns has always stated Doomsday Clock is more about the differing philosophies between them with Superman’s optimism and symbolism against Manhattan’s cold and logical beliefs. That still proves true here as not even one punch is thrown between them. Instead, Manhattan refuses to lift a finger to help save lives, arguing the pre-ordained nature of the conflict even as Superman tries rescuing as many people as he can from the growing fight between him, Black Adam, Pohzar and their forces. Johns captures Manhattan and Superman’s spirits very well throughout the issue and the moment that predicted charge comes and its immediate aftermath is totally in line with Superman.
Throughout my reviews of the series, I’ve often lamented how little Superman himself seemed to be in Doomsday Clock or revolved around him despite Johns’ assertions. That slowly began to change in the latter half of the series and the tenth issue was nothing but a love letter to the Man of Steel. Johns outdoes himself with the finale as the rest of the issue simply focuses on the impact Superman has made both within the DC universe and without. Johns gets a little meta as Manhattan reveals multiple times Superman will be rebooted to update the times, examining how the very comic book industry itself would not have boomed were it not for Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s creation. It’s incredibly ironic that, given WB’s apparent confusion as to how to make Superman relevant in today’s culture for a film, you have a comic right here in Doomsday Clock #12 that touches on how and why Superman will always remain relevant.
Johns also uses the opportunity to once again change DC’s timeline, though he brings it back to a place many fans have wanted since the New 52 with the re-introduction of longstanding fan-favourite characters and groups. Not all the emotional beats land because there is way too much ground for Johns and Frank to cover. Several characters from the series get pushed to the sidelines a bit, but Johns still finds time to include them though their payoffs may vary. There is one moment, however, towards the end that is nothing but a great, heartfelt moment for Superman and one many fans will be happy to see after his losses in the New 52. When Johns does focus on the emotion, he nails the feeling most of the time throughout the finale.
Doomsday Clock initially began as a sequel to Watchmen since the first issue took place entirely in the Watchmen world so it is only fitting the final few pages would tie up some of the loose ends with those characters. Manhattan’s arc comes full circle through his fascination with Superman while Rorschach grows beyond the nature of his predecessor, Ozymandias gets his comeuppance and Marionette and Mime seemingly stick around in the DC universe (fitting since they are not Watchmen originals). Though several of their endings work, it does speak to how little time we’ve had with most of those characters in the latter half of the series, particularly the last three or four issues. Their reappearances might feel a bit jarring and is enough to wonder what their point really was, but it also speaks to the main theme of the series on the hope DC’s heroes offer.
One of the best elements to Doomsday Clock overall is the artwork from Gary Frank. Very few series from DC, Marvel and other comics stick with just one artist when its confronted with the delays Doomsday Clock has had, but, much like Marvel’s Secret Wars with its own problems, there was still only one artist throughout the series. Frank has always been a highpoint with his illustrations and he doesn’t sell the epic nature of this conclusion short. His character work is excellent and incredibly detailed. The two sets of splash pages Frank employs capture the brutal nature of the conflict and the excitement at the return of many familiar characters. He also capably hits the emotional beats quite well, with one family reunion being the crowning moment of the issue. Brad Anderson’s colours compliment Frank’s artwork with each panel standing out and being very vibrant. Even with two pages of complete blackness, Frank and Anderson use their space very well to convey the stakes and emotion they’ve put into their work.
Ultimately some of the problems within Doomsday Clock #12 come down to the constant delays it faced as Johns took on other projects or the demands the artwork made of Frank. Its clear that some of the behind the scenes stuff, like the Legion or the Justice Society of America reappearing in other titles prior to the finale, affected some of the decisions made in the last few issues. The delays also undercut the book’s momentum and significance, but it will likely read quite well when it is all collected into one book.
Though some characters fell by the wayside, Johns utilized most of them well enough but his focus on Manhattan and Superman in Doomsday Clock #12 as well as his closing argument for his thesis on Superman’s true power and relevance is the highlight of the issue. Its meta examination of Superman’s past and future is a treat for fans of the Man of Steel while the artwork from Gary Frank is nothing but gorgeous. Despite the long wait, Doomsday Clock was well worth the ride.
Rating: 9/10
Ricky Church – Follow me on Twitter for movie news and nerd talk.
