Superman is known for bringing hope to the DC universe. Whether it is helping a calamity-stricken town on Earth or inspiring an entire enslaved race on Warworld, Superman is there to help. But if there is anything that strikes fear in him, it is Doomsday. The monstrous being is one of insatiable bloodlust, responsible for one of the Man of Steel's most deadly encounters. Doomsday recently tried to resurrect himself during the Lazarus Planet crossover. He was stopped and sent to Hell by the Martian Manhunter (along with an unfortunate but ultimately heroic empath named Raphael Arce). Action Comics Presents: Doomsday Special #1, written by Dan Watters with artwork from Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, Max Raynor, Adriano Lucas, and Andrew Dalhouse and lettering from Dave Sharpe, prepares Hell for another round of this face-off.
Action Comics Presents: Doomsday Special #1 opens with Supergirl dreaming about Doomsday engulfed in fire. She confides in Superman about her vision, who reminisces about his own encounter with the walking nightmare. As Supergirl mulls things over, the Martian Manhunter gives her a surprise visit. He reveals that he sent her the vision because of its Kryptonian nature. They attempt to piece it together, but something pulls them down to the depths of Hell. They find themselves confronting fire and agony, along with Doomsday -- who has found a new means of returning to Earth. The backup story reveals Raphael Arce's actual fate. He, too, remains locked in Hell. But being an empath, he decides to try to free the tormented souls trapped in the underworld.
Action Comics Presents: Doomsday Special #1 works to build up Doomsday as the ultimate boogeyman. He's portrayed as a monster that even the demons of Hell fear. The plot-driven affair forces Supergirl and the Martian Manhunter to go with the flow of events before they can really get a foothold in the story. They're responding to their surroundings instead of directing them.
Writer Dan Watters portrays Hell as an unforgiving place where no good deed goes unpunished. There's little they can do to impact the story. This means that when Kara and J'onn finally face their impending doom, a thrill sweeps across the book for the first time. The issue seems to build around the inherent danger and peril that Doomsday's presence causes in the underworld. But not every central character is equally utilized. The backup story serves as a stepping stone for Raphael to come out of his shell. However, it is too frantic and too short to find any real emotional depth.
Doomsday was already a monster when he first appeared on comic book pages. The tag team of artists Eddy Barrows and Eber Ferreira take it one step further and turn him into the scariest thing in Hell, surrounded by fire and atop mountains of flayed bodies. Barrows showcases a good sense of composition in his work. His illustrations bring plenty of emotion to the story. They burst with dynamic energy when the need arises. The deep inking of Ferreira helps the heroes stand out against the harsh landscape of Hell. Colorist Adriano Lucas' use of varying shades of yellow and green melds and mixes the flames and magic with spectacular control. The artwork from Raynor and Dalhouse in the backup also brews up a storm. But with the background utilizing more negative spaces, the contrast between the two styles is far more noticeable. Letterer Dave Sharpe materializes the various grunts and growls into written words, adding to the drama and the suspense of impending doom.
Hope and belief are two central themes in Action Comics Presents: Doomsday Special #1. In the inferno of Hell, hope has no place. But as the story shows, even the tiniest glimmer can turn into a tsunami. This is where belief comes into play and is instrumental in pushing the conclusion through the door. It is both the crux of the conflict and the ultimate weapon to stop Doomsday. Regrettably, Supergirl is an underutilized character in the book despite her prominence in the set-up. She may don a cool armor, but her role is quite restricted. Action Comics Presents: Doomsday Special #1's purpose is to remind readers that Doomsday is a big bad to watch out for, and the one-shot succeeds on that front.