By Keigen Rea — Five issues and one full story arc in, and Bang! reveals itself as being made up of generic parts while also being elevated by a fun core concept and great art. 

I like this series. It has done a fairly good job in introducing characters quickly while still keeping the central mystery in focus. The characters aren’t too generic, yet they are familiar and they feel good together. It’s formulaic, but it doesn’t feel slow or boring. At the same time, not much about the story really wows me, and I’ve been disappointed by it in some places. In a lot of ways, Bang! might be my quintessential average comic right now — which isn’t bad by any means and maybe says more about the amazing comics coming out today than the quality of this book. 

And really, not being very moved aside, this comic has amazing art. Wilfredo Torres does a fantastic job throughout the series, but his work especially shines in this issue in particular. Matt Kindt should get credit here too, of course, as the real strength of the issue comes from finally getting to see the cast really work together. Torres gets to show off his skill in showing that the characters are individuals, doing so brilliantly. They each fight in different ways, even while displaying teamwork, and I don’t even know how a brain can do all of that. It’s very cool. 

Colorist Bill Crabtree and letterer Nate Piekos don’t have a ton to do this issue, and so their work doesn’t feel overly spectacular. But really, playing support for one issue while making Torres deliver this is worth it, and there are only so many variations of white to color snow with, so there’s that. 

So, yeah. I recommend Bang! 5 to anyone already following the series, and maybe if you’re curious about it you can give it a whirl. I think this issue reveals a bit about the series that will be interesting to follow further, and it feels nice to see the team assembled. 

Overall: Bang! #5 is a fun finale to a fun arc. The execution is superb, even while I’m not sure the mystery at the heart is really driving me along. This spy Avengers book is good fun, if nothing else. 7.5/10

REVIEW: Bang! #5

Bang! #5
Writer: Matt Kindt
Artist: Wilfredo Torres
Colorist: Bill Crabtree 
Letterer: Nate Piekos of Blambot!
Publisher: Dark Horse
Price: $3.99
Everything comes to a head as the psychotic secret agent Thomas Cord finally assembles his team for their first mission. A drug-addicted man of action, an 80-year-old female detective, a crippled billionaire with an AI-powered car, and a psychotic super spy form an unlikely team—but they are the only team capable of saving the world from destruction at the hands of Goldmaze and a whacked-out sci-fi writer who may be the world's only hope . . . or the architect of its destruction.
Release Date: November 4, 2020
Buy It Digitally: Bang! #5

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Keigen Rea is in week 2 of an 8 week term and it’s awful. Console him @prince_organa.