Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Writer: Eric Heisserer
Artist: Ace Continuado
Colourists: Adelso Corona
Release date: OUT NOW!!
Price: $3.99

In Shaper the idea is the villain come galactic emperor Victus can see ten breaths into the future. Pretty formidable, right? Victus always knows what will happen so he’s always ready. That is, until the hero Spry needs to trick Victus and then the story simply ignores this ability. And that’s a problem as the plot of this poor man’s Guardians of the Galaxy betrays itself.

Ultimately in Shaper #5 the heroes win not because they outfight the villains as much as the bad guys, who up until this point were unstoppable, but the forces of evil, suddenly make nothing but unforced errors. As in previous instalments of Shaper the dialogue continues to be stilted and lack flare. “You did it.” “I had help.” Verbiage so painful you find yourself cheering for the hero to die; and put an end to this sinning syntax. But, alas, neither the one dimensional Victus or the one and a half dimensional Spry can stop monologuing long enough for either of them to sustain a fatality.

The best part of the comic book is the Felipe Massafera cover with its Alex Ross feel. But that just goes to remind you how unattractive Continuado’s interior art can be.

Shaper #5 ends the current story arc. Hopefully, the next arc will learn from the mistakes offered up here. Fingers crossed!

Reviewer: Joe Lovece
Reviews Editor: Steve Hooker