By Clyde Hall — “You people are not ready for the big leagues,” our veteran hero advises a trio of ambitious supervillains as battle is joined in Frontiersman #5. However, the members of this creative team are. They’ve acquitted themselves with style, bringing their Major League play for a superbly satisfying finish to the title’s first story arc.

But Frontiersman isn’t wrong. His foes this issue are a logical final act in the story of an aged former superhero living far off the grid, being lured back into a public role of seemingly harmless advocacy, but finding it’s revitalized his crazy crimefighting career. Even if that wasn’t his intent. One last low impact bask in the activist/superhero role? Sure. What’s transpired since, though…even the environmentalist group he supports is having a rethink.

After agreeing to protest the planned felling of a giant redwood by perching 180 feet atop it while a legal battle wages, the veteran (read grizzled and gray) hero has had once-colleagues turned villains showing up, trading ideological debate and deathblows. Once-adversaries turned lovers showing up, asking why he disappeared a decade previous. Corporate logging interests pulling strings behind the scenes. Calls from his adult daughter demanding to know what the hell he’s thinking. All leading up to this issue, wherein a trio of powerful up-and-comer supervillains decide streaming news footage as they destroy a once-iconic hero, now an old and manageable one, will let them strike a blow against society. Probably even boost their profiles on the Villain Web.

Ethan, Frontiersman’s nom de ordinaire, proves they’ve barked up the wrong giant redwood.

Writer Patrick Kindlon’s dialogue cracks like a solid strike from our protagonist’s war club this issue. I’ve said before, his conversations are grounded and natural as chatting with, or screaming at, your neighbor. Just depending on the relationships involved.

The opposing trio of Regionaire, The Lance, and Shoggothbear have ample power for dispatching a lone, elder human being who uses archaic weapons as battle motif. But Kindlon’s convincing in his narrative observation: Power’s great. It’s just no guarantee when you lack cohesive strategy, nor when your experience is less than that of the tough, seasoned veteran you’re calling out.

Kindlon’s baited the first five issues with storyline potential backed by a skillfully woven mesh of characters. Arc 2 is coming, and we have questions about the many mentions and inferences laced organically through the narratives. Elements not lessening the mostly contained resolution of the problem-of-the-issue but sowing a harvest of future story gardens far beyond the capstone of #5.

Marco Ferrari’s art and colors carry through with the earthy neutrals platter of earlier issues, perfect for the Pacific northwest lumber country that’s utilized as background. Also as in previous issues, his action sequences take the panels airborne. Only this time, it’s a whole aerial dance revue. His splashes of brighter hues come in intervals making the primary combat scenes pop even larger. Ferrari’s excellent in the small, quiet moments as well, but his barnburner of a battle here deserves three Michelin Stars plus a chef’s kiss.

The lettering by Jim Campbell’s been a mainstay strength of this title, and even more for his subtlety in sound effects. His flowing conversation fonts for many issues required little else, and he added sounds with admirable reservation. Battle sequences carried dynamic sound effects, his design work for things like texts and cell screens was equally skilled. But his contributions in the main battle sequence here? His style choices should be part of a Donnybrook Fonts package.

Kindlon, in his letter’s section intro for #4, addresses the disparity between cheap thrills versus true art when comics explore sex and nudity for mature books. He declares the intention of his creative team’s approach in this title, and the result is tasteful, sensual, and germane to his story. Also humorous at times, which never hurts.

But it did leave me with a slight quandary in #5. When there’s live drone footage of your chosen victim being intimate with a titanic, immortal Fae warrior queen of unlimited power, would the evil triumvirate perhaps amend the plan? Might they consider killing the paramour of Brynhildr, much more Xena than Diana in her Amazonian philosophy, and drawing her undying ire unwise? Maybe fleeting second thoughts? It would have added another touch of humor, but instead I imagined The Lance’s pithy but valid protestations instead.

When this title launched, Kindlon said he wanted it to be the Best Superhero Comic on the Shelves each month. He explained why, he believed, the two largest comics producers can’t often make that claim. It was a compelling view and an ambitious, foundational mission statement. It also lacked any pretention or conceit. If you’re coaching a team but don’t have placing first and winning the World Super Bowl Championship of Series Cup Trophy as your goal, what’s the point? You aim high and do the best work you can. For me, Kindlon, Ferrari, and Campbell have achieved their goal.

Overall: Over the last five months, there have been quality issues from many companies. But Frontiersman #5 is, so far, my favorite wrap of any current story arc. 9/10

Frontiersman #5

Frontiersman #5
Writer: Patrick Kindlon
Artist: Marco Ferrari
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Publisher: Image Comics
Regionaire’s team of villains makes its move and lays siege to Frontiersman’s camp. There’s no place to run for our aging hero—only a life-and-death battle! A violent, dramatic, action-heavy end to our first arc!
Price: $3.99

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Clyde Hall (He/Him) lives in Southern Illinois. He’s an Elder Statesman of Geekery, an indie author, a comics fan/reviewer, and a contributing writer at Stormgate Press. He’s on twitter at: (@CJHall1984)