This limited series, DCeased, from Urban comics released in February 2020 is based on a simple principle: what if the superheroes of the DC Comics universe were affected by an epidemic turning them into zombies?
Superhero horror
The Justice League has just defeated Darkseid who is forced to return to his planet Apokolips, but in a final message, he claims to have won. Batman understands the trap: this fight was just a decoy to kidnap Cyborg. 
The very good introduction traces the origin of the project. Publisher Ben Abernathy proposes to bully DC heroes with a virus from Cyborg. He entrusted the script to Tom Taylor and the drawings to Trevor Hairsine (Divinity, X-O Manowar) as well as Laura Braga and Darick Robertson. As the name suggests (DCD), DCeased is a story about death and fear sets in from the first pages: the tyrant Darkseid is ready to do anything to find the anti-life equation that would be somewhere in the circuits of the Cyborg hero. However, during the attempt, the equation is contaminated by the addition of a piece of death and causes a chain reaction: the contaminated Darkseid destroys his planet while Cyborg, teleporting to Earth, automatically connects to the network and thus broadcasts the equation worldwide. Like a virus, the sick go crazy and devour passers-by. The virus spreads across continents but also into oceans – Aquaman is killed by sailors on a boat. Logically, since the virus affects superheroes, its impact is more destructive than a few massacres. We follow in parallel the heroes wanting to save humanity and Harley Queen with Poison Ivy trying to survive.
DCeased: A good genre series
Screenwriter Tom Taylor didn't entirely convince in Injustice but he makes a good genre narrative. Every time the heroes think they find a solution, a surprise happens. The well-written text is in a mixed register between the disaster film and the horror film. He multiplies the varied confrontations of many heroes to the virus but he wanted through this genre to be interested in the emotions and consequences of the acts. Indeed, DCeased is also a story about relationships between people, between friends, within the family but through the internet. The web is the real supervillain in the age of cyberbullying, conspiracy theories and cybercrime. Superman, adored by Tom Taylor, is the main character of this story. While the screenwriter had made him the enemy in Injustice, here he represents hope. However, as society collapses, he finds himself powerless. The screenwriter makes nods to D's story.C. The beginning on Apokolips, Mister Miracle and Big Barda is necessarily reminiscent of Jack Kirby's Fourth World. Taylor takes advantage of a series in a parallel universe to give his vision of the D universe.C. Contrary to older narratives, women are more present. 
A horizontal layout
The English cartoonist Trevor Hairsine does not hesitate to show gory images: Cyborg through the hole he made in the skull of a giantess. We find less massive bodies and closed faces. Hairsine's style is also recognizable by its horizontal layout. Urban offers a precise chapter with the teams of creators and as a bonus all the many variant covers, some of which are inspired by horror films. DCeased is therefore faithful to the genre of zombie stories. The lively reading provides many surprises while making the neophyte discover the universe of DC comics superheroes.
