Shadow War: Omega #1
- Writer
- Joshua Williamson
- Artist
- Stephen Segovia, Mike Henderson, Howard Porter
- Letterer
- Troy Peteri
- Cover Artist
- Jonboy Meyers
- Publisher
- DC
- Price
- $5.99
- Release Date
- 2022-05-31
- Colorist
- HI-FI
Someone has been pulling the strings from the shadows, pitting two of the deadliest assassins in DC history against each other. There has always been bad blood between Talia and Deathstroke, and all it needed was a little spark to start a devasting war that saw both sides incur heavy losses. The Shadow War arc comes to a close with the revelation that the prince of Markovia, Geo-Force, is the real mastermind of the event, who is looking for revenge for what Deathstroke did to his sister and what Talia did to his country. Written by Joshua Williamson with artwork from Stephen Segovia, Mike Henderson, Howard Porter, and Hi-Fi and lettering by Troy Peteri, Shadow War: Omega #1 heads towards a seismic finale with Batman, Robin, and the Batman Incorporated caught in the midst.
Shadow War: Omega #1 opens with a flashback where Geo-Force fights against the Leviathan takeover of his country. In her quest to restore her family's honor, Talia sought to destroy all of Leviathan's forces with no care for the collateral damage she left in her wake. She stopped the Leviathan but left Geo-Force's home in ruins. Since then, Geo-Force has always kept an eye out for the right moment to exact his revenge. Now with his shadow war almost at its peak and Deathstroke presumed dead, Geo-Force has only one target left to vanquish -- Talia Al Ghul, the Demon's daughter. But not before Robin and Batman have a say in the matter.
Shadow War: Omega #1 starts and ends with a great deal of exposition before presenting a spicy mix of vengeance and exhilarating action, allowing the event to run its natural course through a flurry of over-the-top stunts and emotional reconciliation. Writer Joshua Williamson provides Geo-Force with ample backstory while avoiding any mention of Slade and his twisted relationship with his sister, Terra. The fast-paced nature of the tale gives the resolution momentum. However, the ending falls a bit flat and seems anti-climactic, considering the misery, death, and destruction that the series had to cross to reach this issue. Nevertheless, there are enough impressive moments littered throughout the book to provide some closure.
The sheer scale of the carnage on display is irrefutable proof of illustrator Stephen Segovia's versatility. His ability to change from serious tone to murderous rage at a moment's notice is stunning. The action is the heart of this issue. Segovia delivers intense fight sequences and earth-shattering superhero capers that make for stunning visuals. The last ten pages of the book invite artists Mike Henderson and Howard Porter to add their final touches to the event, which serves as a collaborative farewell to the month-spanning crossover event. Hi-Fi uses his blazing colors to set the pages alight in flames of vengeance as Geo-Force turns into a monster, both in the figurative and literal sense.
Shadow War: Omega #1 concludes Joshua Williamson's ambitious Shadow War arc and serves as a prelude to DC's upcoming Dark Crisis event. While the death of Respawn hangs heavy in the air, the issue does well to present Geo-Force in an unsympathetic light and double down on his heel turn. Meanwhile, Talia's character steers towards a redemptive arc with a sudden character development, as Damian embraces his father's teachings to show his mother a better way of life. Robin rightfully takes center stage in Shadow War: Omega #1, serving as an antithesis to Geo-Force and showing the world the true definition of a hero in spite of his past.
