Ex Sanguine #5
Publisher: Dark Horse
Writers: Joshua Scott Emmons & Tim Seeley
Artist: Tim Seeley
Colors: Carlos Badilla
Is Saul an out of control vampire that’s been eating people alive? How about the psychotic Ashley? We actually saw what was going on at the end of issue #4, so this issue was a bit anticlimactic. No spoilers here, but again, if you read last issue you can sum up who was doing at least some of the killing, and it was a set up from the word go, apparently. The ending was quite interesting, though, as far as the revelation of the killer and all of that story line. Saul uses some arcane magics to resurrect a certain someone. We don’t know why he does this, but obviously the door has been left open for more Ex Sanguine in the future.
OK, honestly, this issue was sort of a let down because of the events at the end of the previous issue. It would have been a lot better to have that reveal at the beginning of this issue instead of the way it was presented. Certainly most would still buy the fifth issue of a series where they already bought the first four, but we all know that the comic book community can be fickle. If they get a decent series but feel gypped in the end, they can ostracize a creative team for months. Publishers will think him a leper, and he’ll be working his (or her) way back instead of just treading water for a few months.
The pencils and colors were on par with the rest of the series, which is to say that they were solid. Everyone knows Seeley’s style, and the colorist, Carlos Badilla, has a style that is bright and in your face. The cover is pretty conspicuous, as were all the others. Most of them were very explicit, sexy, and whatever other adjectives you can think of, but honestly given Ashley’s personality they were perfect. It will be interesting to see if the future holds any more Ex Sanguine. Maybe another limited series to clear up the last few panels? Only time will tell. Rating 3/5
Billy Dunleavy
billy@comicattack.net
