Our cast of heroes is finally together, answers are finally being found, and a scary supernatural monster is on his way to destory them all. The large cast of characters compare notes and start to realize the truth of the spirits who have possessed them. All while the threat known only as the "American Spirit" is methodically heading towards them. Storywise there isn't a ton here. We have the resolution of the American Spirit attack from last issue and then all the characters discussing their shared origins. What makes this issue work is the conversation. Ellis' dialogue is always snappy and smart. It continues to be strong here.
Worley's artwork continues to steal the issue. The mood it sets during the American Spirit fight alongside all the different flashes to the spirits is just mesmerizing. As the characters start to transform into their spirit/super hero selves it feels magical and still real. All word bubbles could be removed and the comic could work perfectly, we would be missing out on the wonderful dialogue though, which would be a crime. I hope these two work together after this book.
This was once again a set up issue, but unlike last issue it didn't feel like a retread of what came before. The information shared between the characters is actually new, it helps that we now have characters knowledgable of what is happening.
I am pumped that next issue we will be getting a fight with the American Spirit, he has been built as a serious threat and this issue only continued to push him as a force to be reckoned with. I don't know how things will conclude in just a single issue. While I hope the fight is well done, I worry that the resolution will be slightly disappointing. The first two issues built so much intrigue and mystery. Those all seem to be answered in the same way which is a little disappointing. But we shall see, this was still a fun issue, even though I may just be buying in due to the American Spirit. I would probably read an anthology just about encounters with the American Spirit honestly. Sounds like a heck of a book actually....
Score: 3/5
Blackcross #5 Writer: Warren Ellis Artist: Colton Worley Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment Price: $3.99 Release Date: 8/5/15 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital