ADVANCE REVIEW: Axcend #5

Story and art by Shane Davis and Michelle Delecki, published by Image

Moves at action movie pace this fifth issue makes to desperate for the next issue. It has two enormous twists that I promise you won’t see coming.

The writing is a little wordy in places, though you’ve read it before you noticed. There’s an awful lot of comic squeezed into these pages, as I mentioned in my other reviews of the previous issues the team are mad keen to get everything on the page, which is a good thing even if it leads to the odd bit of 90’s dialogue dueling.

The characters all stand out Ruin is a delightful nutcase and in one moment Morn has an emotional breakdown you actually feel. Art wise this thing is chuffing beautiful, clean designs that stand out, action that makes sense, even with the odd unnecessary word balloon. There’s real skill in getting expressive faces in the masks of the characters and the colours are a true delight in an industry obsessed with terracotta and swamp brown.

All I would say is the pacing needs to chill out a bit, it’s a potentially great comic bursting at the seems, too keen to get to the end and prove it’s worthwhile and it doesn’t need to, it already is.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Published: July 20, 2016
Diamond ID: DEC150564