Review: Kiss The End #5

“This is some rescue, Jay.” – Mania

Synopsis:

Amy Chu brings closure to this sordid tale and begins the issue with the rock band and Jay tumbling through dimensions from which they finally arrive at the wasteland. It looks like Jay didn’t complete his mission as he doesn’t even know where the sword is and Gene Simmons adds insult to injury as Jay’s idol calls him “That loser kid.” Jay and the members of Kiss are brought into hell by demons of the realm, when Jay sees Mania he asks if she’s alright and informs her that he’s here to rescue her, of course, this isn’t quite possible as he’s a prisoner himself.

The Creative Team:

Chu and Loebs finally bring our protagonists together in this free for all of a tale. Tensions rise and anger swells as this finale brings out the best in Jay and the worst in the Lord of the Wasteland. He doesn’t have his sword and he’s not happy. But who has the sword? Jay clearly lost it and it winds up in… Nah, no spoilers, your gonna have to read it to know who gets the sword. This is a pleasing ending to a tale that began with our hero losing his livelihood and finding his true love, but there are some figures from his past that come back to haunt him. He may have the woman he loves, but he’s not going to win that easy, he has to make amends for his past. Great stuff includes the banter between Kiss and Jay as well as Jay confronting a woman from his past.

Edu Menna is the right artist for this tale, his depictions of the Kings of the Nighttime World in concert are some of the best renditions of the band in the history of comics and the finale when Kiss plays with their special guest is a real treat. The ghost musician is well rendered and adds a certain panache to this story. Highlights include the arrival of our heroes back at the wasteland and the final concert.

In Conclusion:

Is this truly the end of the road for Kiss comics. I know this is supposed to coincide with the end of the road tour and our favorite gods of thunder aren’t going to tour anymore, but I still feel there’s room for more Kiss in the world of comics, after all, even though the band is aging in real life, no one has to age in the world of comic books. Superman and Batman both look good for heroes in their ’80’s and if I can’t see my favorite band in concert anymore, I’d at least like to continue to read their exploits in the world of comics. Having said all that, the only reason I don’t give this issue another star is that I’m baffled over the ghost musician that was used in this tale. I can’t help but think that it should have been Jimi Hendrix. I know the one they used had some questionable supernatural urban legend associated with him, but this is a rock and roll comic book and I think Hendrix would have made more sense in this tale. Oh well, a minor complaint in an otherwise fine issue. *** (8.6 rating)

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Writer – Amy Chu, William Messner Loebs
Art – Edu Menna
Colors – Jorge Sutil
Letters – Troy Peteri
Publisher – Dynamite

Author Profile

Kevin Given

Kevin Given has studied with â€œ Longridge Writers Group â€ and â€œ Writerâ€™s Boot Camp â€ a speech/communications major from the University of Maine Presque-Isle/Orono sites. He has created the â€œ Karl Vincent Vampire Hunter â€ franchise which includes novels and comic books. They can be found on amazon, Indyplanet and Kindle. For a limited time you can get digital copies of â€œ Karl Vincent: Vampire hunter â€ # 1 and â€œ Files of Karl Vincent â€ # 1 for free on Indyplanet. Kevin is producing the third novel in the series â€œ Dracula Rising â€ (working title) and developing â€œ Foul Blood â€ into comic book form. Don't forget to check out the YouTube show " Comics: Let's Talk " hosted by Kevin Given