Written by: John Arcudi & Brandon Montclare
Art by: Aaron Conley & Henry Flint
Publisher: Dark Horse
Eerie #5 is an entertaining collection of tales with themes prevalent in movies and comic books. The compilation seems apt for a generation that needs a reminder as to the origin of the status quo of entertainment.
The issue starts out with Joy of Life, a classic story of an experiment gone wrong. The nerdy Dr. Gulan is transformed into a monster after her experiment is shut down. The story is quite captivating and I especially liked the rapid change of perspective in the story between the bystanders and Dr. Gulan. The story is well done by John Arcudi who manages to create compelling characters very quickly. Aaron Conley’s art, on the other hand, doesn’t fit into the story quite as well. The vague penciling of complemented with excessive lines used to draw characters isn’t too appealing and obfuscates the beauty in the simplicity of the story. But altogether, Joy of Life is one of my favorites.
The next story is The King of all Monsters. This story riffs on popular monster movies such as Godzilla, by quite literally having a setting in a movie set. Haruo is a veteran actor and has played the gargantuan Mon-star numerous times on film. However, he is soon to be replaced by CGI, a decision that is all too popular in Hollywood. Seething with anger, he is accidentally transformed into Mon-star after an accident. Brandon Montclare’s story is rife with social commentary about the cinema industry and also features a rather unexpected, albeit cheesy resolution to the story. The story is thus non-conventional but not that compelling. Henry Flint’s art is exceptional and I loved his use of contrast that was almost reminiscent of a noir story. However, don’t expect an adaptation by Zack Snyder any time soon!
The third and final story is Journey into Wonder. This one deals with fantasy themes and plays around with medieval honor. The story by Bill Parente is not outstanding but doesn’t disappoint. It moves slowly at first but quickly becomes somewhat interesting. Grendel, a dwarf, has to prove himself to his king that he is worthy of knighthood. A classic story, Journey into Wonder is predictable at the very least. Ken Barr’s art keeps it lively as he is able to exude a sense of urgency with his panels. Journey into Wonder just doesn’t cut it for me.
Eerie #5 is almost like an introduction to comic books, but long time fans can revel in the beginnings of today’s mad, mad world of comic books.
