The second to last issue of We Stand On Guard really sets up the stage for one last showdown. This issue does away with the flashbacks we’ve been getting in the previous issues that told the story of Amber and her brother Thomas. Instead we see the fate of the Chief after the grueling mindfuck she went through (talk about a mindfuck). She is located in Prince Edward Island (insert joke about that island here) which is now turned into a giant P.O.W. camp, in there she meets Amber’s brother, they speak of who they only call “The American,” and the fate of Amber now that the Chief broke and revealed the resistance’s location. Thomas assures her she’s way tougher than people seem to think. And from there on we jump on the massive cliffhanger from last issue.
It’s very refreshing to see everything taking place in the present. Although the flashbacks gave great exposition to Amber and the world that surrounded her, as well as how the war went on through the years, and how the US became such a mighty force, We Stand on Guard is getting to its second to last issue, so to do away with those flashbacks was a great choice. The story now only requires real time narrative and information concerning the things we will see in the last issue.
As far as the concerns I had about the story, they’ve been answered in this issue. As I said at the beginning of the series, this was a pretty straightforward plot with interesting characters and a realistic point of view. As I read on through the issues, in my mind I was expecting for the Canadians to begin getting the upper hand in order to make their final strike. We Stand on Guard continues with the theme of not giving up against all odds. It continues to follow the logical part of the plot, while maintaining the reader’s attention with great character development and even using callbacks to fallen members (and a shirt that I want to wear already). Whereas last issue all took place in a single location, this one really moves the story forward, by moving it three different times throughout the issue.
The art continues to be great, Steve Skroce continues to astonish with various splash pages that pump the breaks on the fast pacing and lets you admire what is happening and the full scale of the whole thing. This is a great issue that both delivers in action on is own, yet sets up the stage on the last issue of We Stand on Guard. This is a series that worked very well with the monthly wait for the next issue, so if you can run down to LCS and get this comic and its previous issue, please do and join me as we wait with bated breath for the grand finale of We Stand on Guard.
Score: 4/5
We Stand On Guard #5 Writer: Brian K. Vaughan Artist: Steve Skroce Colorist:Matt Hollinsworth Letters & Design: Fonografiks Publisher: Image Comics Price: $2.99 Release Date: 11/4/15 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital