“Two pretty okay articles for the length of one”
- “Nothing Can Bring You Peace(maker) But Yourself”
With the first two episodes of the wildly spectacular show “Peacemaker” out and with more releasing weekly, the DCU is in great hands with James Gunn at the helm. As many of you lovely readers are sure to know, James Gunn is an avid comic reader himself, and loves to put obscure characters like Peacemaker into the limelight in many, scratch that, all of his superhero film projects. I myself like to wonder, What comics were Peacemaker in that inspired James Gunn to turn him into such a pillar of the new DCU? Seeing as I’m not James Gunn and I don’t know him; I haven’t had the opportunity to ask him such a question.
Thankfully, while I don’t know exactly which comics inspired Mr. Gunn, I do happen to have a definitive, Arthur-approved list of all the best Peacemaker comics for you guys to read!
Peacemaker Tries Hard!Knowing myself, I’m sure I’ve plugged this series many times, but I’m going to do it again for the heck of it. Written by Kyle Starks and penciled by Steve Pugh, this series is the perfect comic parallel to the show: full of gratuitous violence, vulgar humor, and a super cute animal (though this time it’s a French bulldog named Bruce Wayne instead of a bald eagle). This series is, in my opinion, the best Peacemaker has ever been in the comics and possibly ever will be. The best part? It’s completely standalone, so for those of you who are hesitant to dip into DC Continuity, worry not! Have I still not sold you? Well listen here, folks. We’ve got cameos from all sorts of fun and fearsome foes. Deathstroke! Chemo! Monsieur Mallah and the Brain! Snowflame? Seriously? He’s still around? Okay, sure, fine.
Pictured above: the immutable Snowflame. To quote Joker from the LEGO Batman Movie: “probably worth a Google”.
DC Finest: Peacemaker: Kill for Peace
Peacemaker was originally a character created for Charleston Comics before they got bought out by DC, so many of his adventures from his formative years were not reprinted for many years. Thankfully, a recent compendium was released that collects his earliest appearances, plus his 1980s miniseries and some appearances in Eclipso, Suicide Squad, and Vigilante (yes, like the one in the show!) Much of Peacemaker’s persona and his relationships with other characters featured in the show were inspired by the comics featured in this collection, so give it a whirl if you want to see how Peacemaker came to be!
This one is for those of you who really liked the 2021 Suicide Squad movie (or really anyone I guess, but I felt a direct comparison was needed). Written by Robbie Thompson in one of his limited DC forays (Thompson is probably best known for his deeply enjoyable Silk and Spidey series, which you should also read), Suicide Squad features Peacemaker as the field leader of the team, commanding a rotating cast of characters that includes a personal favorite of mine, Ambush Bug. My one suggestion when reading this book? Don’t get too attached, and that applies to everyone.
Spoiler warning: it wasn’t that hard. All jokes aside, I do mean it very seriously. When Marvel unveiled their Ultimate Universe, everyone and their comic-buying grandmas went out and got their copies of Ultimate Spider-Man or whatever. Even I was caught up in the wave of excitement. I didn’t think DC could possibly match what Marvel was doing, but boy oh boy was I wrong. When Marvel decided to start running, DC decided to start moving at supersonic speed, drawing from the best talents working in the industry, drawing from both seasoned industry members (Scott Snyder, Jason Aaron, Kelly Thompson) and the brightest up-and-coming stars (Deniz Camp, Hayden Sherman, Rafa Sandoval). Each and every title feels like a fresh take on a beloved character, while retaining the traits that made us love them so much. You like Batman? Well guess what? He’s 8 feet tall now and cuts off people’s hands with axes. Wonder Woman? Yeah, she was raised in Hades, has a magic arm and a dope Berzerk Greatsword. Superman? Uhhh… He’s a teenager. But still really metal!!
For those of you who don’t know, the Absolute Universe (where all these titles take place) was created by the villain Darkseid after he apparently died in our world, but in actuality transferred his essence to a new universe where he recreated it to fit his vision; a place where evil rules supreme. It’s on this universe’s Earth (Earth Alpha, as it’s referred to as) that the heroes we thought we knew grew up changed by this harsh new reality, which basically turned them all into even cooler, stronger (if that’s somehow possible) crimefighters.
Every title that’s released so far is amazing, and yet are so different in style, providing a little something for everyone and making the publishing line a nice refresher from the still good, but more homogenized, main universe. Every series tells its own story, but also manages to achieve some wonderful worldbuilding that subtly affects the other characters in their other books. Basically, what I’m saying is: READ THE ABSOLUTE COMICS!!!! They’re all so great, I know you won’t regret it.