Tom King is a polarizing figure in the comic book world. He’s delivered some critically acclaimed works, such as his Vision run at Marvel Comics, but also divisive ones like DC Comic’s Heroes in Crisis. His writing often evokes strong reactions—readers either love or hate his work, usually for the same reasons. King’s stories focus more on character development and intricate plots rather than traditional superhero action. His comics tend to be dialogue-heavy, and sometimes it feels like he stretches the story to fit his typical 12-issue format. In my experience, King’s work can be difficult to enjoy when read in monthly installments, but it becomes more coherent and impactful during a second readthrough as a collected whole. Danger Street (2023-2024) suffers from these issues, but it’s still an enjoyable read overall.
What sets Danger Street apart from most comics is its unique source material. The series is based on DC’s 1st Issue Special, a 1970s anthology that focused on new and revived characters in standalone issues to try and develop new ongoing series off of. King takes the bold approach of weaving all these disparate characters into a single narrative. These characters range from semi-popular, like the lovable shapeshifting Metamorpho and the chaotic Creeper, to the completely obscure, like the stubborn yet driven Lady Cop and a mischievous group of boys known as the Dingbats of Danger Street, which the title is obviously named after.
The plot kicks off with three superheroes–Starman, Warlord, and Metamorpho–attempting to summon Darkseid using Dr. Fate’s helmet to prove their worth to the Justice League. Predictably, things go very wrong, very fast, and they summon the wrong Apokoliptian God, setting off a chain of events that could cause the end of the universe.
The story is narrated by the Helmet of Fate, giving it the tone of a twisted fairy tale and referring to the characters as storybook archetypes. The superheroes are referred to as princes, Lady Cop a princess, the Creeper as an ogre, and the main villains, the Green Team, as monsters. It gets kinda old after the first few issues, but it doesn’t interfere with the story itself.
Each issue is referred to as a “Chapter” and is named after one of the characters or groups from the original anthology, except for the New Gods. They were in the 13th and final issue of *1st Issue Special* and since Tom King only does 12 issue series, they don’t get one despite being an important part of the series.
The naming is honestly pretty pointless, as the issues themselves don’t actually focus primarily on the characters they’re named after. One character, for example, doesn’t even appear in the Chapter named after them, as they were already dead by the time it came out.
There are several different stories in Danger Street, with the themes of redemption, responsibility, and fate versus free will resonating throughout the series. There’s the superheroes processing their own guilt and self-doubt over the consequences of their colossal mistake, Lady Cop trying to solve a murder case while dealing with her personal distrust of superheroes, the Green Team trying to figure out who’s trying to kill them, and the New Gods trying to prevent the sky from falling. All of which are loosely connected to each other, but grow tighter with each passing issue.
Danger Street’s pages are given the classic Watchmen nine-grid panel layout with Jorge Fornés, who previously collaborated with King on Rorschach, returning with his recognizably beautifully detailed artwork. Fornés’ art elevates the story visually, complementing King’s dense, character-driven narrative with atmospheric and striking visuals, making each and every panel clean and pleasant to look at. He definitely deserves an award for this.
While Danger Street is typical of King’s slower, more wordy style, it features enough compelling, well-written character moments and even a few unexpected twists to keep readers invested. It may not be a fast-paced superhero romp, but for fans of King’s cerebral storytelling, it delivers a satisfying and complex tale.
That said, I would have liked to see more of Metamorpho, though that’s a minor complaint in the grand scheme of things.
