Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, Death Sentence No. 5, entertainment, Titan comics

'Into The Dark Void' – Preview Death Sentence No. 5, #5 From Titan Comics

Published Wed, 14 Oct 2015 17:00:08 -0500

By Olly MacNamee

I'll admit up front that I am a big fan of any art form that does not shy away from political discourse. I grew up listening to Dead Kennedys then Public Enemy and onwards. Fighting the power and raging against the machine are what floats my boat and so you can imagine I embraced the politics that fuels Monty Nero's Death Sentence the moment I read it.

Following on from the last issue, and hitting the shelves this Wednesday October 14th, comes issue no. 5 and the effects and fallout of the sexually transmitted disease, G-Plus, continue to take its toll on both the individual and society. A disease that spells death for its host (6 months, max) while also bestowing superpowers upon its victims; somewhat of a bittersweet curse, G-Plus is the death sentence the comic's title is referring to. And not everyone can cope with this fate rationally. I mean, would you?

Millions of Londoners have been slaughtered by one G-Plus infected loon already, Monty, with London's mayor calling for a state of martial law in an attempt to stop the spread of infection, with the capital gripped in a chaotic, hellish riot spiraling out of control.

We catch up with the action where we left it in issue 4, with Brixton 'botanist' Roots facing off against local hood rat and G-Plus empowered bad boy, Retch while Verity 'Art Girl' Fette, declared legally dead, digging deeper for answers. Answers which seem to point towards a larger, darker force.

If anything, the artwork by Martin Simmonds has improved between issues (and it was pretty damn good to begin with), with characters popping out of the page, more defined against the backdrop. Whether that's Roots walking through a riot-riddled Brixton battlefield, or a randy mayor – not too far removed from London's own current excuse – taking full advantage of the perks of politics, Simmonds is very quickly growing as an artist. Something Titan Comics on the whole seem to be doing well at, judging by their current slate of titles (see my preview of Noel Clarke's The Troop).

Nero continues to weave his tale of intrigue and corruption, of government spooks and a disenfranchised youth. In many ways this has all the trappings of a contemporary superhero comics, but with shades of the real world encroaching onto the plot in a meaningful way. In this modern world, the machinations of the likes of Lex Luthor or Norman Osborne are nowhere near as Machiavellian as our reality. Why create fictional bad guys when the real news is full of corporate greed sustained by government policies on a level that makes these guys look like moderates. Hell, Luthor has a problem with Superman, because he's an alien, but he pales in comparison when you put him next to the likes of Donald Trump and his vile vitriolic rhetoric.

But, enough of the politics. Yes, it is reflective of our own desperate state of the nation, but it also an intriguing premise. A young, empowered underclass looking to survive this life, while putting affairs in order ahead of their inevitable fate.

Death Sentence No. 5 offers its readers a great new voice in comics, and an alternative to your standard super heroics. And out, this Wednesday.

Olly MacNamee teaches English and Media, for his sins, in a school somewhere in Birmingham. Some days, even he doesn't know where it is. Follow him on twitter @ollymacnamee or read about his exploits at olly.macnamee@blogspot.co.uk. Or don't. You can also read his articles fairly frequently at www.bleedingcool.com too.