Last issue was a bit more laid back and quiet (besides the ending of course) than the previous ones. It was good to take a breather after all the intensity, but it slowed things down a bit. However, the latest issue of Manifest Destiny promises some excitement and getting back to that intensity. Is it good?
Manifest Destiny #5 (Image Comics)
Sergeant Floyd has been lost to a mysterious vegetation zombie virus and the men of the expedition are more worried than ever about what lies out there. With some new travelers added to the group (the surviving residents of La Charrette, Sacagawea, and Charbonneau), Lewis and Clark decide that it’s time to take some action.
And now my collection is complete!
This issue definitely felt like it had more going on in it in terms of action, suspense, and thrills in comparison to the last issue. It felt more like the third issue: an intense opening, slow middle, and an exciting ending/cliffhanger. It’s all about getting the next issue of the series (which is the finale for the first arc) all built and set up well, which it does admirably. The comic is getting all of its characters into place, setting up the big threat (which I won’t spoil but is rather huge), building the suspense and thrills, and pumping the audience up to want more. With this issue and culmination of every one that came before, you’ll definitely be wanting to see where this all goes and how it finishes out for this upcoming finale.
Otherwise, besides getting the setup done and audience invested, Chris Dingess’ writing is up to the usual standards that you have come to expect from the comic. Dialogue is good, with solid interaction between the characters. The new plot points and elements it introduced into the story are or could be interesting (I wonder how that plant finger in the test tube plot point will end) depending on how the story plays them out in the future. Characters are fine, but again, characterization and development needs to take place in order to really flesh out this cast and make us care about them more. We got a few character bits for Sacagawea in this issue, but that’s it.
You know, this is sort of how I pictured the monster from the second Goosebumps book would look like.
Matthew Roberts and Owen Gieni’s artwork is fantastic as usual. The characters are well drawn (although some of the characters in similar outfits might blend together), the creature and designs are beautifully horrific, the details and effort put in the locations and eerie scenes are impressive (that cliffhanger is amazing for instance), the layouts are good and easy to follow, and the coloring looks impressive. The only nitpick is that backgrounds can be a bit lazy looking with just flat and boring looking color voids.
Is It Good?
Manifest Destiny #5 is a great buildup and setup issue. It’s moving all the pieces to their places and getting ready for what appears to be a promising finale for the first arc. Hopefully, it can deliver on the promise next time around.
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