Doomsday +1 #2
Published and © by Charlton, August 1975
Title: “A Faceless Foe”
Synopsis: A murderous cyborg sends a robot army after three astronaut survivors of the nuclear apocalypse, and their thawed-out, ancient friend.
Writer: Joe Gill
Penciler: John Byrne
Inker: Byrne
Review: As with the series’ debut (see review), Doomsday +1 #2 isn’t a great comic, but it sure is a lot of fun. Joe Gill’s story gets off to a confusing start when his recap stops short of the current action, and some of post-apocalyptic tropes feel a bit stale. But the main story offers plenty of big punching while a budding love triangle adds a little drama. The real appeal, of course, is early art from comics legend John Byrne. While there is the occasional panel lacking polish, there are far more examples indicative of the brillant career to come.
Grade: B+
Cool factor: Byrne + Robots = Cool. This has long been a comic-book rule. (Also: Byrne is already showing rapid improvement compared to Doomsday +1 #1.)
Notable: Also includes a one-page prose story titled “The Last Red Rage.” … This issue is reprinted, with interior panels used as a new cover, as Doomsday +1 #8.
Character quotable: “Kuno not fly! Kuno hunt! Kuno fish! Kuno not – fly!” – Kuno, offering a nice change of pace from “Kuno hurt!” and “Kuno kill!”
Editor’s note: This review was written Feb. 18, 2021.
