mrmazz's All-New Ultimates #5 - His Cold, Handsome Skull review

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    Back to Reality

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    As Dagger works over Cloak’s aching back. The yin to Daggger’s yang bemoans that it “Dosen’t help that we’ve been seeing more action, then usual. It’s like we never get time to ourselves anymore.” An excellent encapsulation of the All-New Ultimates book thus far. In the preceding four issues, writer Michel Fiffe has put the team in over their heads in a torrent of gang related plot. Putting Cloak, Dagger, and the rest of the team as characters outside the domino masks on the fringes of the book in favor of costumed (sometimes inept) vigilantism front and center.

    Issue 4 was a reprieve but it is back to reality in issue 5 with roughly 13 and a half pages dedicated to physical action. The action heavy issue makes it a quick read, a mostly satisfying one to due to improved art. By the end of though I am left wanting, Issue 5 neither ends nor begins an rc it is decidedly the middle chapter of a story that proves to be more setup than payoff. Despite that setup being mostly fine, the Serpant Skulls invade the club house and the team comes face to face with Crossbones. There is novelty to be had but on its own dosen’t satisfy. Perhaps in a longer issue the segment of story presented would be more enjoyable.

    Artist Amilcar Pinna dose deserve credit for improved depictions of action. The frames are not nearly as busy with background milieu like in the horrid second issue. The backgrounds fade away to a solid soft purple background evoking old 80’s anime action pieces. The static background, often with horizontal or vertical lines animated across the frame in the middle ground, extended the appearance of movement in the foreground of the frame. Obviously there is no real movement within the frame but this style mixed with the overall improved flow from frame to frame gives the appearance of movement.

    Pinna also manages to make a fare amount of tension in a short 5 frames as Detectives Brooks and Dennis continue to track down Scourge. Discovering the skull faced vigilante’s apartment with him on the otherside of the closet, sawed off shotgun at the ready. The lighting may not be realistic but extending the shadow cast by the slats to entrap everyone involved in prison bars, or a cage, is a nice touch.

    The issue is only mostly action and in the brief respite from physical altercations, Fiffe dose get to touch on the pragmatism of people on the ground vs. those higher up in the institution. Positioning Detective Bridget O’Reilly to become the teams Gordon equivalent. Passive aggressively turning a blind eye to the team in hopes they will cancel the gangs out.

    All-New Ultimates Issue 5 just kind of is. It isn’t forgettable or poorly plotted like Issue 3, an issue that in hindsight makes more sense but still feels unearned. It has improved art over the second issue. But if you weren’t already on the train there’s nothing really there to grab you on it.

    I am Michael Mazzacane and you can find on Twitter @MaZZM and at weekntv.com or comicweek.com

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