Dark Blood #5

Dark Blood #5

BOOM! Studios 2021

Written by Latoya Morgan

Illustrated by Moisés Hidalgo

Coloured by A.H.G. with Allison Hu

Lettered by Andworld Design

Are the horrors of Avery's past to blame for his unique condition or or is there something more sinister at work? Avery's symptoms continue to worsen as he races against his pursuers to reach Dr. Carlisle and confront him about what could possibly be happening to him. But a shocking turn of events prompts Avery's condition to manifest and intensify with deadly consequences, which will threaten everything Avery holds dear.

WOW what an issue! Okay so this is when we actually see how Avery got his back to look like it does and I have to say the man has earned a ton of respect for me after seeing this. He’s a strong individual and if that didn’t break him then I am seriously doubting that there’s much that actually can. His mental toughness is what I would hope mine could be some day and if anything he’s the type of man that anyone can and should look up to just for what he had to endure and overcome. Then to come home and deal with the whole less than second class citizenship and pure hatred for the colour of his skin breaks my heart. Latoya is an amazingly gifted writer and that she’s able to get us to feel things on such a deep emotional level is some seriously good stuff.

I am loving every moment of the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information are presented exceptionally well. The character development that we see through the limited narration, the dialogue, the character interaction as well as how we see them act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter really does a magnificent job with their ever changing and evolving personalities. The pacing is excellent and as it takes us through the pages revealing more of the story the more respect we gain and the more bizarre the turn of events become.

I am thoroughly enjoying the way that we see this being structured as well as how we see the layers within the story continue to emerge, grow, evolve and strengthen. I am also liking the way that these layers open up new avenues to be explored as this adds some great depth, dimension and complexity to the story. The way we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward are impeccably handled.

The interiors here are utterly gorgeous. The linework is phenomenal and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create the detail within the work we see is extraordinary. How we see backgrounds enhance and expand the moments as well as how they work within the composition of the panels to bring out the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story are beautifully done. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a remarkably talented eye for storytelling. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work show an exceptional eye for how colour works.

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Avery’s journey throughout the issue is amazingly complex with how many ups and downs we see him enduring. With the emergence of this variance and how it affects him and his decision to get to the bottom of things we see a chain of events let loose and it makes me fear for what’s still to come. Then again with the way this is being written and how we see the depth of the characterisation and the brilliance of the interiors, what is going to come next is as thrilling to think about as it is horrific.