Review: Commanders in Crisis #5
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Steve Orlando
Artist: Davide Tinto
Colorist: Francesca Carotenuto
Letterer: Fabio Amelia
Reviewed by: Carl Bryan
Summary
“You turn people’s devices into their own personal gods and you watch them defend them as such! – Seer
The last survivors of the Multiverse live among us under new, super heroic identities, five survivors of doomed worlds…taking a second chance to ensure our world lives on.
A new twist on strange superhero comics, COMMANDERS IN CRISIS follows in the footsteps of Doom Patrol and Thunderbolts as five unexpected heroes come together to solve a murder unlike any other. The victim? Compassion itself…This is “ideacide”!
Commanders in Crisis #5 – Can Frontier save the Crisis Command after a secret from her past shatters their trust? As her team struggles to find meaning, vicious attacks mount from new enemies with empathy dead.
Act Two of the event that births a universe kicks off as Frontier faces Thunder Woman, electric inspiration itself!
A new series by acclaimed writer STEVE ORLANDO (Wonder Woman, Doom Patrol: Milk Wars, Martian Manhunter) and artist DAVIDE TINTO (Marvel Action: Spider-Man), an intense, weird action thriller reminding us about the importance of compassion and hope in the present moment, and putting fists to faces along the way!
Positives
Steve Orlando has killed empathy with his scrip. In detail, Orlando provides what happens with certain aspects of the human emotions are turned into actual physical beings and murdered.
The situations he paints in this story resonate as we grasp with the idea of not only being independent states merged together only to defend ourselves from an international threat. But also what happens to us as a society when we have no empathy for others.
Now we have the political thriller of Commanders in Crisis. Steve Orlando has been leading up to an interesting Multiverse tale involving Presidents with super powers “yanked” from their universes as they were being destroyed.
Subsequent their arrival to this universe summoned by the current President provides a jumping off point of diversity, survival, leadership, powers….you name it.
This issue provides life that occurs as The American Individuality Act is being debated on the Congress floor. Orlando really shines a light on human emotion and core issues of what it means to look out for our fellow human beings.
Orlando the desperation of heroes as they seek to do what is right, even if that means manipulating or lying to their partners. Philosophically, does the means justify the end? We as readers get to choose. But this final version of Orlando’s Earth has some massive work to do if it is going to survive despite having the best versions of Presidents.
Positives (more…)
I continue to applaud the craft of Davide Tinto and Francesca Carotenuto – their lines are clean, their colors are vivid, and the frames are perfect for this comic. They tell a story within a story, and they work so well with Orlando’s script!
Negatives
Not exactly a negative, but a buyer beware. Orlando and crew have some very graphic sex scenes among the heroes across many lines. Orlando’s work is very adult and while he explores relationships in past work, he provides some really graphic superhero sex in this issue. This is not a Scooby-Doo comic.
Again, not a negative per se, but it is a moment to pause if a younger reader is interested in new heroes and is not familiar with Orlando’s work in this arena.
Positives (Third Round!)
Sawbones and Seer continue to be my favorites in this new array of heroes. Their powers continue to intrigue me as a reader and a fan!
Verdict
This edition is the edition to have. Go back and purchase issues 1-4. But make sure you have issue 5. You’ll be glad you added this to the collection! Again, note that the script continues to get deep and thought provoking, the art pushes the edges in story telling and the colors are as vivid as any comic produced. Image has a hit on its hands.
