Review: Bishop: War College #5

Marvel’s #1 Time Cop is back in action in Bishop: War College #5. In this exciting series conclusion, Bishop returns from a magical trip to a place in the multiverse in which he teamed up with an all-black version of the X-Men, just in time to help his students with their final test, a battle of course.

The story is action centric but also mixes in some good ‘ol fashioned espionage. Throughout, Bishop gets to channel his inner Nick Fury. He also gets to be more reflective. He’s still a man lost in time and internally torn by it, but he is seeing the bigger picture now. Overall, writer J. Holtham has created one of the most well-rounded depictions of the character seen in any comic. The kids don’t get to show off their powers as much as in the previous issue but they’re not simply waiting to be saved by Bishop either. They “bring da ruckus” too.

This isn’t the War College for nothing. In this issue Bishop’s team of young X-Men recruits have to fight to defend Krakoa from the Fenris twin’s final assault. X-Men comics are known for their great artwork and it is crucial for conveying each character’s unique powers. The art by Sean Damien Hill and Espen Grundetjern is on point here. It’s crisp, it’s clean, it’s in-line with the rest of the series and it’s what readers expect from modern comics. Bishop’s new design might still take some getting used to for OG fans but he’s still Bishop through and through.

One of the highlights of the issue is the special guest appearance from a classic X-Men super villain. No spoilers on who it is, and they only appear in one panel with one piece of dialogue, but it is so funny and so on-brand for the character it had to be mentioned here. You’ll know it when you see it.

With a satisfying ending that includes a heartfelt epilogue, Bishop: War College #5 is a well-done conclusion to the Bishop-lead, non X-Men, X-Men story we didn’t know we needed. It will be interesting to see who if any of his students will be called up to the Big Leagues and officially become X-Men after this. And in true comic book fashion, it all sets up more time-hoping, mutant saving adventures for Bishop in the future…or past…or present…

Writing – 4 Stars
Art – 4 Stars
Coloring – 4 Stars

Overall – 4 Stars

Written by; J. Holtham
Art by; Sean Damien Hill
Colors by; Espen Grundetjern
Letters by; Travis Lanham
Published by; Marvel Comics

Author Profile

Christopher R. Ford

Writer, author, and blogger. Published author of three children's books and also writes for the boy Creators For The Culture. Part-time sneaker head, full time nerd.