Midnighter #5 Review

Holding the Rope

Written by: Steve Orlando
Art by: Stephen Mooney, Romulo Fajardo Jr., Jeromy Cox and Tom Napolitano
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: October 7, 2015

While I loved the first issue of Midnighter, my enthusiasm has waned since then.  I keep seeing other reviewers expounding on the witty dialogue and great characterizations in this book, but it just makes me wonder if I'm reading the same thing they are.  While I like Midnighter as a character, I have found the dialogue and situations in this book to be forced at best and down right laughable at worst. I would chalk it up as a "not for me" type of thing, but after the first issue, I was head over heels in love with this book.   Plus, Dick Grayson has been in it and that is definitely for me. While I may come off as negative to some (or most), I always try to give a book more than a fair shake, so it's with an open mind that I go into this issue.  Is this the one that turns my frown upside down or is it time for me to cut my losses and hand it over to someone else to review?  Let's find out...




The issue opens with Midnighter's boyfriend, Matt, out for a jog with some friends.  It may seem like an odd opener, but I really liked it.  I have grown tired of seeing Midnighter's boyfriends come and go, so it's nice to get a little character development in that department.  Plus, Matt is rocking an old school Walkman so he's okay in my book!  It doesn't hurt that the dialogue in this first scene is hands down the most natural this book has seen yet.

Things continue cruising along when Matt calls Midnighter to see what he's up to.  He's up to kicking ass with Grayson in Russia and while the dialogue starts to get a little funky, I liked the action enough.  After seeing Akakyevich and a bit of his plan (I like to think of it as the Monster Squad), Midnighter comes up with a plan to find their enemy...go where they can't.  Sounds crazy, but it works.

It begins on a train infested with "weaponized folklore" and if this were a movie, it would be one of my favorite action scene of all-time.  Dick and Midnighter fighting giant bears, werewolves, bird people and more all while handcuffed to each other...oh my.

Everyone's (things?) ass gets kicked and the duo finally meet Akakyevich face-to-face.  It's a short meeting, however, because he has himself some God Garden tech and uses it with extreme prejudice. While it looks like our two heroes are shit out of luck, it's all part of Midnighter's plan.  I don't completely get it, but then again, I don't have a fight computer for a brain.

I do understand that Midnighter and Grayson teleport back to Akakyevich, kick him in the face and then paralyze him.  Unfortunately, it seems that Akakyevich was just the middle-man...a very crippled middle-man.  That calls for...some drinks and an ending scene where Midnighter and Grayson show us that they "get" each other.

I didn't hate this issue.  It still wasn't as good as the series opener, but it's heading in the right direction.  I do like seeing Midnighter and Dick working together, which already has me worried for this book once Grayson cuts out.  As far as the dialogue goes, I still find it cringe worthy with odd one-liners and sayings being shoved at the reader with little regard to how they sound.  If you don't believe me, read this book out loud and you will.

Stephen Mooney is back on art and this issue looked really good.  The action scenes flowed nicely and the crazy "weaponized folklore" was the highlight for me.  The one thing this book has done consistently is give the fights some awesome set pieces to happen in and that continues this month.  II just wish DC could decide on the regular artist for this book.

Bits and Pieces:

While I still find the dialogue in this book to be unnatural and forced, I enjoyed this issue for what it was...a cool and exciting team up with Grayson and Midnighter fighting crazy monsters and finding out that their quest for the stolen God Garden tech has only just begun.  I'm still interested in seeing where this book is going, but my patience is wearing thin.

5.5/10