The Good: Better character interaction. The plot thickens. Title is hitting its stride.
The Bad: A couple of continuity problems (see below).
The story: This issue closes out the Iron Terrapin story arc. When #4 left off, G-Force was dispatched to investigate the mysterious deaths of several high-level tycoons. Tiny and Princess found themselves dealing with hordes of Spectrans while Mark and Jason encountered a suspicious "cleaning crew" and an explosive booby trap. Upon resolving these problems with bullets and an EMP bomb, they bring the evidence home to Chief Anderson for further investigation. Meanwhile, Chief Anderson attempts to wring more information from the mysterious figure in the church, and we discover the stranger is a traitor to both sides, now in a combination of imprisonment and sanctuary.
One fan complained to me that, "Nothing happened this issue." Well, we had fighting action, a resolution to Mark's cliffhanger, and hints at things to come, but this issue did indeed feel like a debriefing. I find no fault in that--blame the length of the standard comic book. This section of the story will seem a lot less frustrating when the issues are compiled for the trade.
The characters: The personalities of the characters are beginning to come forth. Mark is showing more of his leader's poise, and at last, Jason is showing the kind of quick thinking and attention to business that shows he belongs in G-Force. Extra kudos for not taking advantage of Mark's query, "You sleep with that gun?" (How many movie quotes can you find in these issues?) Princess and Tiny show their colors, and Tiny gets a lot luckier in this issue than he's gotten in the BotP series (and it couldn't happen to a nicer guy). Keyop displays an interesting young-old demeanor that hints at his not-so-natural origins. One moment he's delivering data like a scientist, and the next he tosses in a younger-sounding comment. For him, this works, and it's far better than giving him a speech impediment.
If I had any complaints, I would be a little more conservative with the slang. As evidenced in the original series ("Big ten, good buddy"), slang dates itself too quickly, and by the time the mainstream media begins to use it, the slang has already changed. Tiny's commands to the artificial intelligence center of the Phoenix, for example, could have been abbreviated. A good example was the way Robin commanded the Bat-copter in Frank Miller's Dark Knight novel. Short and terse increases the coolness and urgency of the moment.
I have just been told I haven't been picky enough, so here are a few more plot details to take apart:
- How did Mark get thrown clear of that explosion--thrown through a glass window and knocked unconscious--without a scratch? If the cerebonics make him invulnerable to flesh wounds, Jason's little "love nick" should have ricocheted harmlessly off his arm without drawing blood. Speaking of which, how fast do G-Forcers heal? He wasn't bandaged or showing any scars in later panels.
- Spinner's daughter seemed too eager to hand her father's journals over once Princess and Tiny rescued her. Saviors or not, the journals are wanted enough that it would pay for the girl to be more cautious.
- What exactly happened to the minivan Mark and Jason were chasing? Did the occupants suicide? Did Jason blow it up? Or did the van just flip over and burst into flames by itself?
- In the debriefing, Mark explains that he found some microfilm before the explosion during the debriefing scene. But how did he find enough time to dismantle the picture frame, discover the microfilm, put the frame back together, and tuck it in his belt, and yet he was unable to jump clear of the building?
The art: Issue #5 shows a little flash, some nice action touches like the transmuted Spacemobile roaring out of the parking garage, the silly comments by outsiders (again a fun part of the original TV series) and G-Force in their coats and shades, posing in Utoland. I had trouble with the panel continuity on page 4. The eye doesn't follow a natural progression from left to right because it's interrupted by the central column of Mark in freefall. My only other complaint was that we had Zoltar on the cover, but not in the book. He would have been a better fit on the cover of #4, where we saw him struggling with his alter ego in the first few pages.
By the way, the wallpaper on Keyop's computer on Page 1 was a nice touch.
The bottom line: Nice conclusion to the first story arc.
Other Reviews of Issue #5:
http://comixexperience.com/savcrit120402.htm
