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Review: Remote #5

Don’t let the little smoking guy fool you, I loved this issue. It’s like dangerous and rough sex. It’s also probably the only 5 out of 5 I’ll be giving this round of Double Take books (we’ll see. I have a few more to go) and that’s weird considering this issue completely backs up after the last issue. By that I mean we rewind time so that new readers can jump on board and understand what’s going on. I’m not going to lie… it’s better for it. The reason it works for this particular books is because it’s concept and story has gotten bigger and bigger. The cast has grown and unlike titles like Medic, you really have gotten to know the other players in the story. And so much like how other issues in the shared universe will go back over details that another series has covered, Remote did that to itself out of necessity. To show everything that it couldn’t show in the fourth issue.

Remote #5If any other series did this, you’d probably be pissed. Admittedly I was a little confused, but then the writing and idea behind everything is so interesting and well told that I honestly forgot by the end of it. I was just happy to be reading something so interesting. To think, that this started off as just a women trying to survive in a radio station during the Night of the Living Dead. That idea was interesting, but as I said in my review for the first issue, what more can you do with it?

A lot apparently. Because, and I’ve said this before in another review, there’s a sense of change between issues. Almost as if the creative team comes together and discusses what worked and didn’t about the last issue and how the readers responded. Then they change things. They adapt. They change story paths at a drop of a hat and all of it keeps me interested. It keeps me entertained. Double Take’s books are one of the most interesting experiments in comics and its working. That’s the great thing. It’s working.

The art maintains the overall style that’s been developed on the series. It has a little of the first issue vibe and a lot of the fourth issue. Some panels struggle but overall the coloring makes it an extremely consistent book. There’s a lot of personality to the characters visually that some of the books are missing currently, but we’re only on issue five. Sure that’s fifty issues total, but the series and line are still growing and changing.

Remote always had my eye, but I think it’s safe to say that thanks to Samantha Stanton that this is my favorite title in the Double Take line of books. She, as a character, continues to grow (another pun, really?) with each issue and it’s been great to see. Maybe too quickly at times, but I can’t wait to see where this story goes. What happens to Samantha and who will the shared universe respond? It’s going to be good.

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Remote #5 Story: Bill Jamas, Charlotte Greenbaum Script: Stephanie Long, Michaela Murphy, Bill Jamas, Michael Coast Layouts: Young Heller, Ben Silberstein Pencils: Ario Murti, Andres Esparza, Jonathan Ashley Publisher: Double Take Comics Price: $2.50 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital

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