DC Universe Presents: Deadman #5

Why not you?

It's a question Deadman knows he can't answer. Not for himself nor for the people he possesses.

Why me?

It's an unanswerable question that presumes a plan has been set in motion. If there is no plan, if everything is random and chaotic, the only answer to 'Why me?' is 'Why not you?'

Instead of spending time pondering a self-pitying question, you need to change your perspective. Why me? Because. Now get on with it, you moping prick.

Now why Rama needs to ponder this question to help make sense of all she knows, I can't answer. Why was she given such power? Why is she not more powerful? Why her what? Perhaps it's just a bit of misdirection to get her off Deadman's back.

Mostly, it's just something that writers have been doing for all time. 80% build up of characters seeking answers and discovering mysteries. 20% answers are found. And everything goes downhill when the writer has to answer all the questions he brought up earlier.

The Rama/Deadman thing doesn't make much sense to me. Maybe because I've never asked myself, "Why me?" Maybe that means something to the self-pitying meaning freaks out there.

But I do like that Deadman has found a way to feel good about helping out the people he's possessed. No longer does he think it's about solving their existential quandaries or making their lives better. But he can help them to move past feeling lost and helpless and incomplete. He can give them something, an experience, that changes their perception of past events. He can give them strength in the present that helps them deal with their past.

And when he does this for Johnny by having him stop the League of Anarchy from blowing up a bridge, he and Johnny lose the connection between them. Because Johnny can now deal with what happened. He couldn't save his buddies in the explosion. But he would have if he could have. And others saved him just like he would have (if he could have!) saved others.

Or some such bullshit!

Looks like Deadman is done for now! I think I'm going to really enjoy the DC Universe Presents if it can manage to tell coherent short stories like this. I may have to rank each individual story line separate in the comic rankings! Next up is Challengers of the Unknown. When that is out next month, I'll see how I decide to do the rankings. Since six titles are being axed, I'll also have to decide whether to keep them in the rankings or have two separate rankings: one of current titles and one for finished titles. If I split the rankings, I guess I can move finished DC Universe Presents stories into the finished title rankings.

Anyway, that's it for Deadman! One picture and hardly any summary to the story. Go read it yourself!