Review: Independence Day #5
“No offense Mr. Alien, but as a scientist I need a dead body for my autopsy.” –
Synopsis:
A top-secret investigation by the American Government has discovered an alien vessel underwater. This vessel is unlike the other vessels that attacked the earth during ID4. The military personnel have boarded a private submarine with a different crew to discover what’s going on beneath the sea. One of the aliens has discovered the submarine crew aboard it’s vessel and all hell is about to break loose!
The Creative Team:
Victor Gischler’s composition does a nice job in creating a claustrophobic atmosphere for our protagonists. He opens this issue with the sub in danger and taking on water. Our heroes are in combat with the alien vessel. Their unpredictable guest winds up missing and lurking about the sub., helping to build the tension and increase the mystery of what’s happening to the submarine. Superbly crafted. Now that their specimen isn’t dead after all and on the loose, this brings about danger on two fronts.
Bettin and Sposito bring a certain vitality to this title as they thrust our heroes into battle without letting up on the adventure. The biggest criticism I have is that, when the crew boards the alien vessel, it could have been darker, keeping us in a murky atmosphere given the source material. I know that ID4 was a sci-fi film and did not give us a moody tone like Ridley Scott’s Alien. But this comic book reminds me so much of Scott’s masterpiece, without ripping it off directly, that I was hoping for a more opaque feel. But other than that the chills were authentic and the entire creative team delivered the goods. A nice read.
The cover:
Now the cover is what I was hoping for on the inside. One of the aliens is peering through a shaft. All you can see is a bare outline of its face and it’s eyes piercing into your soul. The creatures claws holding on to the portal, tentacles are reaching forward, like they’re about to grab the reader and draw him/her into this comic book. It’s dark and threatening. The lighting is a harsh red, signifying that a warning alarm has been triggered. You need to flee, but where can you go? You’re on a Submarine.
In Conclusion
The specimen that the crew thought was dead regained consciousness and is now attacking the crew of the submarine. The stress builds among the crew as they try to contain the problem. In one of the more humorous scenes two security officers reassure a crew person that they’re the good guys and she’s safe as long as they’re around only to have the alien sneak up from behind and attack them. It’s a much needed break in the tension as the issue moves forward. This is the final confrontation between humans and aliens, or is it? A good finale that leaves you guessing. ****1/2
Independence Day #5
Writer: Victor Gischler
Art: Tazio Bettin, Giorgia Sposito
Colors: Max Flan, Arison Aguiar, Manny Clark, Rodrigo Fernandez
Letters: Rob Steen
About the Author
Kevin Given Kevin Given has studied with "Longridge Writers Group" and "Writer's Boot Camp" a speech/communications major from the University of Maine Presque-Isle/Orono sites. He has created the "Karl Vincent Vampire Hunter" franchise which includes 2 novels and 8 comic books. They can be found on amazon, Indyplanet and Kindle. For a limited time you can get digital copies of "Karl Vincent: Vampire hunter" #1 and "Files of Karl Vincent" #1 for free on Indyplanet. Kevin is producing the third novel in the series "Dracula Rising" (working title) and developing "Foul Blood" into comic book form.
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