Review: Kiss Me, Satan #5

The final chapter starts out with Zell in a church looking for a sign that what she and Barnabus are about to do is the right thing.  While she’s doing so, we see a corrupt priest and nun plotting to kill Zell as they start taking weapons from the confessional.  They know that Cassian has put a bounty on Zell’s head, and even though currently he canceled that bounty, they serve to their ‘higher power.’  So, as you can probably guess, there’s a great little action scene which ends up in Zell using her magic and escaping the church unharmed. She is able to get away thanks to Barnabus and his speedy driving, and at this point they’re on their way to the belly of the beast… almost literally.  On the way to Cassian Steele’s house, Zell and Barnabus make sure they’re armed to the teeth in order to carry out their mission.  What they aren’t aware of though is the fact that some demons from Barnabus’ past (or the first issue) are tracking him down as well.

Kiss Me Satan #5 CoverThe Steele’s nurse also seems to be part of a scheme to keep Mrs. Steele out of the picture so that Cassian can murder their son along with Barnabus, and gain the eye from Zell.  However, she refuses to take a certain pill (probably a sleeping pill of some sort), making her still relevant to the story and perhaps available for the approaching conflict.  All of these groups-the demons, Cassian and his pack, Cassian’s wife, Barnabus, and Zell all make this bloody and epic conclusion a memorable one.  I don’t want to give too much away, but let’s just say after reading this issue the title will make a little more sense.  There’s a huge twist that I definitely didn’t see coming.  Other than this particular instance however, the ending wraps up in a less than shocking fashion.

Although I enjoyed this series these last few issues, I still think it had potential to be more.  I never really felt that connected or invested in any of the characters-for me, Cassian was the most memorable but we never really knew that much about him.  It was also almost anti-climactic when he didn’t kill his son because he didn’t seem that evil and therefore not much of a threat for Barnabus.  That said, for me the highlights of this book have been the gruesome, gory action sequences thanks to the stellar art.  If you look at it like a movie that you just go in to see some blood and gore and not worry too much about remembering the characters than you will probably want to check this out.  Otherwise, the story may seem a bit predictable and may be disappointing.

Score: 3/5

Writer: Victor Gischler Artist: Juan Ferreyra Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 1/15/14