Review - Danger Club #5

In the absence of heroes, the sidekicks stepped up. What they're stepping up to might be bigger than any of them conceived initially, but that's what makes it a club full of danger. All takes place in the aptly named Danger Club #5.

Danger Club #5 is written by Landry Q. Walker, illustrated by Eric Jones, colored by Michael "Rusty" Drake (and Garry Black on page 1) and lettered by Richard Starkings and Comicraft's Jimmy Betancourt.

Apocatastasis is the word of the moment here, with all the sidekicks again launching a plan against the President. The president himself reveals that there's a lot more to his plan than what everyone previously thought, including rampant torture, flagrant dismemberment and even time travel. It's likely those weren't the platforms he was elected on, but they do manage to make him sufficiently despised and a worthy adversary for the new heroes.

Readers of Danger Club know that it's an unsung hero on the shelves these days and Walker makes sure the fifth issue is no different. The issue is the slightly formulaic "villain reveals all evildoings," but Walker presents it against the backdrop of the heroes trying to save the day. It's a welcome presentation of parallel plots, with the President more or less monologuing while everyone else is executing a master plan. It's laid out quite brilliantly and reads very quickly.

Jones' art maintains a superior level of quality. He imbues each page with tons of fine detail, especially with the President in making him seem sufficiently creepy. There's some blood and gore in the book, but it's not gratuitous or overwhelming. It fits within the context of the narrative and adds to the overall flavor of the story. The final page full of panels is very well done, presenting a pretty big reveal about the future of the series.

This is a book that everyone will enjoy reading. It's got a good villain, rambunctious heroes and a lot of backstabs and grand plans at its core. There's a lot packed in every issue, but it never feels overwhelming or out of control, with Walker and Jones maintaining a firm grip on the Danger Club universe. Definitely worth checking out if you've been reading so far and it's still not too late to grab the first four issues and get caught up before diving into the fifth.

Danger Club #5 is in stores April 17.