REVIEW: ‘Almighty,’ Issue #5

With the horrors of Zone 1 surrounding them, Del and Fale have finally run out of road in their race to escape the Golden State motorcycle gang. But despite the odds being against them, it looks like Fale has no intention of going down quietly in Almighty #5, published by Image Comics, writing and art by Edward Laroche, colors by Brad Simpson, and letters by Jaymes Reed.

They say in life, it’s best to play to your strengths. To draw as much attention there as you can to draw attention away from your lesser qualities. Almighty #5 attempts this as it wraps up its tale in a way that focuses on the book’s strongest element, Fale, while it leaves the rest of the story’s pieces in less than stellar condition.

Fale dominates this final chapter as we see her confront the Golden State motorcycle gang, as well as the nightmare fuel that resides in Zone 1. Every trick the series has utilized in past chapters returns here, as Fale confronts every obstacle in a way that reaffirms her brutal mastery of violence, while never allowing her to lose her humanity. Seeing her go one-on-one with gang members and monsters one moment, to turn around and tenderly care for Del the next, brings this complex character into stark relief one last time before the series closes the doors on her for good. If you have loved the character up till this point, this finale will not leave you disappointed where she is concerned.

Unfortunately, how Almighty #5 treats Fale is the only narrative element that gets it’s due here. Del is barely present in the story, and how they go from Zone 1 to Del’s home is covered in a couple of panels. While it was obvious that the book wasn’t going to be able to go into great depth with only one issue remaining, more should’ve been done to give greater satisfaction to the series’ final entry. What the narrative does deliver however is always presented well, thanks to Reed’s letter work, which keeps the space dialogue well-placed within every panel.

While the narrative comes up short in most respects, the art manages to deliver the book’s focus on Fale and the violence that surrounds her skillfully. The fighting is always rendered to capture the raw, unpolished, and crude energy of it. While some action stories strive to make violence an art form, here, it is nothing more than an uncompromising mess that leaves the participants broken and bloody.

While fights between humans are rough, the monsters of Zone 1 continue to provide plenty of terror, again, thanks to Laroche’s art. The moments where people fall prey to the monsters are truly grotesque, creating an overriding sense of horror that continues to reinforce why no one goes to Zone 1. The monsters’ aura in Almighty #5 is further enhanced thanks to Simpson’s colors, which bring out the unnatural in the creatures’ presence on the page.

In the end, Almighty #5 manages to give readers a few final moments with its strongest character, which comes at the expense of everything else. If you have enjoyed the journey thus far, this entry serves as a fine cap to its tale, even though many of the elements are fairly rushed.

Almighty #5 is available now wherever comics are sold.