One World Under Doom #6: A Damn Smart Debate

One World Under Doom #6 is split almost perfectly into three story components: a debate between Doom and Reed about the legitimacy and necessity of Doom’s rule, the heroes finally investigating what is going on in Latveria, and the revelation of what they discover. It is difficult to discuss much of the latter two story segments here without spoiling those story points. As is the case with the debate, dialogue drives most of the investigation. The main difference between the two is that a debate, by necessity, involves a great deal of talking. An investigation can, but in this case North is very economical in how much is said. It ramps up the pacing, leading to the reveal that’s been five issues in the making. Not to be completely outdone, though, the debate is surprisingly tense, flowing effectively into the investigation sequence. 

Doom makes a number of significant points throughout his debate with Reed which drives tension and speeds up the issue as it goes on. Part of that is the result of North writing dialogue for Doom that is a clever use of a real world story convention being addressed in-universe by the series’ main character. Doom raises the issue of why the heroes don’t help all the people of Earth with their technology and knowledge, and every point he makes in One World Under Doom #6 that he makes rings true precisely because it’s a critique of the genre. Obviously an ongoing superhero universe made up of dozens of series has to defy logic in some ways if it’s going to go on in perpetuity. As such it’s just accepted. North chooses to have a character comment on that very topic. “Meta” is a term used liberally to describe fiction, but North’s writing here fits the precise definition.

Another key component of Doom’s dialogue with Reed is a claim that Winston Churchill knew about Pearl Harbor but said nothing because he wanted the United States to join the war. North takes very few liberties, both here and in Fantastic Four, when it comes to science and history. Intended by North or not, it’s noteworthy that the exchange between Doom and Reed over Pearl Harbor–Doom’s claim that Churchill knew and Reed’s assertion that there’s no evidence to support that–is an accurate reflection of the real world debate. Though that claim about Churchill is still made, it is widely accepted that he did not know.

The comparison to Churchill comes after the first of two revelations in One World Under Doom #6, both courtesy of Maria Hill. North successfully misdirects the reader into thinking that the big bomb Reed drops early in the issue is the only information Hill had and that it failed to have an impact. The second, more shocking revelation that comes later in the issue is especially shocking as a result. It also retroactively justifies Hill’s dramatic entrance at the end of One World Under Doom #5.

Doom’s internal monologue further points out how ill-prepared Reed is for such a debate. North’s Fantastic Four run has treated Reed as being on the autism spectrum (though never specifically calling his behavior out as such). North brings that character element into this story thread when Doom comments on Reed’s inability to debate and appeal to the crowd on a more emotional or social level.

Thanks to the debate sequence, much of One World Under Doom #6–perhaps as much as half–features panels with closeup looks at characters, both heroes and ordinary people. Silva’s detail comes via short thin lines and patches of shading that consist of groups of even smaller, thinner lines. Silva seldom highlights consistent features such as cheekbones, though. Rather, the focus is around the mouth and eyes to imply only expressed emotions based on their change in shape. Much of the additional detail, such as jawline and cheekbones, results from Curiel’s coloring. Playing off implied light sources, the change in shade highlights details like jawlines with shadows rather than lines.

Perhaps contrary to expectations, Silva brings a higher level of detail to backgrounds, especially a two page spread late in the issue. Buildings in Doomstadt extended off toward the horizon. North starts out with greater detail up front, minimizing it as the city extends away from the reader’s eye. The two page spread late in the issue features people, robots, and a massive internal space. Silva is far more liberal in line application here than in closeups. And unlike the closeups, Silva’s art can’t be amplified by Curiel’s coloring. This greater level of art detail amplifies the emotion behind the revelation.

Green is an almost constant in One World Under Doom #6. This isn’t surprising since it represents Doom’s power. Curiel’s treatment of the color–adjusting shades back and forth both subtly and abruptly–demonstrates significant coloring skill and creates depth and dimension in both high and low impact scenes.

There are almost no flashy sound effects or dialogue in the issue. Lanham’s most impressive work is how he keeps the dialogue bubbles and caption boxes organized throughout the debate sequences. These are very text heavy pages, and Lanham successfully avoids blocking Silva’s art, letting the characters’ gestures and expressions carry much of the emotion.