Kings Watch #5
Written by Jeff Parker
Art by Marc Laming
Colors by Jordan Boyd
Letters by Simon Bowland
Edits by Nate Cosby
Covers by Marc Laming & Jordan Boyd,Ramon Perez
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: April 9, 2014
Cover Price: $3.99

Kings Watch #5 is seriously one of the most stunning comics that I’ve read in MONTHS. And I read a LOT of comics. It’s not your usual licensed comic fare. I really hope that Dynamite picks up this ball and runs with it; they could get a lot of mileage out of the conclusion of this series.

Jeff Parker turns in an absolutely incredible script that had more twists and turns than I could possibly count. This is not your typical “all the heroes save the day” comic. I never saw any of this coming in the issues leading up to this issue. Now I wish that this mini series was actually an ongoing, because I think there’s more than enough story here to carry one for years.

Parker gives particularly great characterization to Flash Gordon (you’ll read more about THAT later, though), making him the stand out character in this series, but not in this issue. That role belongs to The Phantom. In fact, I don’t know if there’s a weak character in this issue. Parker does a fantastic job of writing a team book with each member of the team getting equal screen time and attention. He needs to write more of them.

As far as the art goes, it doesn’t get much better than what artist Marc Laming puts out this issue. Parts of this comic remind me of movie storyboards, in the sense that you can feel and see the action flowing in your mind. I love that Laming has the ability to come up with the most unbelievable, outlandish characters that you could ever imagine, and make look like they belong in the same universe. Another thing I love about this art is the attention to and amount of detail that goes into it. From character’s facial reactions to individual blades of grass, I’d love to know hot long it takes Laming to draw a page, because I’m betting it’s quite a while.

If you’ve missed the previous four issues in this series, you need to get them now. And then make sure you pick up this issue as soon as you can, because you’re not going to want to miss it. It is a real game changer for a bunch of these characters. Trust me on this one!!