| February 2050 | Edition nº145 |
Tom Taylor: The Human Pulse of DC
The Architect of Empathy
He was not a thunderclap but a heartbeat as Tom Taylor entered the vast DC Universe full of gods fighting with mortals, cities crumbling before breakfast, and more. The Australian writer has a surgeon's touch on the very fine emotions balanced against a startlingly intimate voice that speaks into DC. Who would win the fight? His stories did not ask, but instead, brought to light those who must live with it afterward. Injustice to Nightwing, and everything in between, Taylor's pen was carving icons who bled heavy, meaningful impacts. Taylor pens heroes who still look forward to tomorrow when today has already been consumed by flames.Spectacle is not what distinguishes him; though he wields it well, it's consequence. Death remains dead longer. Choices echo. Love bruises. His hands are feeling sore about DC's mythic figures up close and personal, standing at the crossroads of hope and despair with dirt on their boots.
When Gods Break
Taylor did something very audacious in his breakout Injustice: Gods Among Us. It broke Superman, but not with kryptonite; it broke him with grief. As the story continues, hanging like a slow moral landslide, readers saw how absolute power erodes under absolute loss. Heroes turned into rulers, and justice hardened into control, leaving readers feeling unsettled rather than triumphant. This was no crude endeavor for shock; this was contemplation on just how thin the line between savior and tyrant truly is.This was a theme that followed him everywhere like a shadow: whether it's writing Wonder Woman, Jon Kent, or the Suicide Squad, Taylor seems to dig deep into power from a humanity perspective. There is an almost spectral quality about his worlds, as if one wrong word could send everything toppling. Instead, it became less a realm of immortals and more the kind of mirror held to our own fears of authority, love, and responsibility.
Hope in a Blue Mask
Nightwing most vividly reflects Taylor's philosophy. Under his pen, Dick Grayson went from yet another Batman Legacy kid with a tragic past to being the emotional force of the DC Universe-an upbeat force. Blüdhaven changed from an ironic punchline to a place worthy of saving. Optimism is defiance for Taylor. Being nice to people in a brutal world is the new heroism.
This paradigm is doubled in his Superman, especially Jon Kent. This Superman is neither above us nor hard to reach; he is queer and whole and compassionate, moving through and beside our human condition. It is another expression of God, but a Superman written by Tom Taylor. The future of heroism is not louder onomatopoeia of punches, but louder empathy.
Legacy in Living Ink
Tom Taylor's fingerprints are not so much reboots as re-centering. Taylor makes us remember what these people stood for. Beneath the blue tshirt, cape, and cosmic drama is a simple question: What do we owe each other? Soft but firm are the answers of his narratives.To read Tom Taylor is to feel DC breathing out, the universe itself recalling its heart.
If you could sit down with Tom Taylor for one conversation, which hero would you ask him about and why? Share with us in the comments about your experiences and thoughts to earn a Limited Edition Comic Book Pack for your collection!