The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys: Chapter 5 >>> Waking the Destroya!

by Sean Tonelli on October 30, 2013

The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys: Chapter 5 >>> Waking the Destroya!

I have been raving about The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys and I am deeply saddened that this excellent series is coming to an end. Since we are at the penultimate issue, I thought I would do something a little different for this review. I am going to assume that you are fans of the series and being the huge fans that you are, I am going to treat/bore you with a page by page analysis. So if you haven’t read this issue yet, then go ahead we’ll wait….. Ok good, now let’s move on. Oh, and this goes without saying:

 

SPOILERS! SO MANY OF THEM!

 

COVER A (Becky Cloonan):

This cover features Korse atop a giant robot we can only assume is Destroya. He appears to be taking aim against an unseen foe and is quite insignificant when compared to Destroya’s size. It’s interesting to note that this is the first cover that does not feature a character profile, which we learned last issue were actually from B.L.I. case files.

 

COVER B (Gabriel Bá):

This cover features the Phoenix Witch—though we are not aware of that yet. In the foreground we have a post office box that is doubling as a tomb stone. This is where the Phoenix Witch stores the masks of those who have fallen. We can see the backside of the Witch as she walks off into a burning sunset. The glow around her figure closely resembles a phoenix itself. Gorgeous work by Bá. If you haven’t read Umbrella Academy then please do so.

 

PAGE ONE:

The title page. This issue is called Waking the Destroya! I enjoy the design of the title page. It really adds to the cinematic quality of the book and really pushes that ‘epic’ feel.

 

PAGE TWO:

The start of our story, page one features four dark panels which sets the mood for the rest of the book. Chapter 5 is going to be heavy, we can tell already. We also get a glimpse of the Phoenix Witch as she reaches inside the mail box to grab a mask. She holds onto both Killjoy and Draculoid masks since death doesn’t discriminate.

 

PAGE THREE:

Phoenix Witch front and centre. Her design is quite enjoyable, wearing a hockey mask and shrouded in raven wings. She floats away with her cart, she then turns into a raven (or a dark phonenix? Either way more death imagery) as a transport truck comes barreling through.

 

PAGE FOUR:

The truck is after Blue, our favourite porno-droid. Cloonan really captures the terror in her eyes as she flees. The sight of Blue lying on the ground in the last panel is heartbreaking.

 

PAGE FIVE:
The new Killjoys are fighting against a S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W unit. We are treated to some excellent examples of the slang that Way and Simon created. The world is so infused with music and the power it holds that it transfers itself into the mindset of the people. Unfortunately maintaining the image of a rock-star seems to be more important than one’s own health. Live fast, die young, leave a beautiful corpse.

 

PAGE 6:

Val is a brutal bastard and he’s awful at jokes. The panel featuring him blasting the back of a Draculoid’s head is great though, Dan Jackson’s colours really make the action pop.

 

PAGE 7:

Cloonan really keeps the frame wide for the majority of the action. It gives the book the apperance of a side-scrolling 16-bit videogame.

 

PAGE 8:

Cola is a terrific character and if anyone deserves to be framed through a gaping bullet hole, it’s him. Fearless and kind, Cola stands as a shining example of the empathy that is sorely missing in this world. Oh and his gun matches his mask.

 

PAGE 9:

The creeping inevitability of Cola’s fate is so well handled, you can almost feel the tension when you’re holding the pages. Jackson’s glow behind Cola gives him this angelic quality as he falls in battle. The Girl knowing she is beat, just closes her eyes next to her fallen comrade, awaiting her fate.

 

PAGE 10:

We shift from the colourful violence into the sterile walls of Battery City as Korse is about to enter his ‘reconditioning chamber’ or ‘tube’. His eyes are bloodshot and heavy, having just lost his lover to the B.L.I. In the final panel, his tears are real and so is his pain. Korse has had a very interesting arc, changing from villain to victim with complete believability. It will be interesting to see The Girl and him meet up given their history.

 

PAGE 11:

A predator see’s their prey. Korse Vs. B.L.I. as he stands in the middle of a white target. The B.L.I. have mind wipe devices like a good evil-corporation should. And the B.L.I. Head of Security is wearing a mask that once belonged to Party Poison, the deceased leader of the Killjoys. I wonder how she got that?!

 

PAGE 12:

The goal of the ‘tube’ is to suck the love from Korse. There is a spider that is crawling within the tube, no doubt to juxtapose the B.L.I. H.O.S.  (her name escapes me, if you know, comment!) and her web of lies she spreads with her propaganda. Or perhaps that everyone is just a fly caught in her web? Could go either way, but make no mistake, Korse is no fly.

 

PAGE 13:

We finally get to see Korse be the bad-ass we’ve heard about back in Danger Days. Punching the screen, busting out of the tube and blasting a S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W unit in the back of the head. Great pacing from the team, with Cloonan utilizing the cinematic aspects of panelling, you can see the rage coursing through Korse’s hands.

 

PAGE 14:

Back to the desert. Notice how beautiful it is in the land of the dead? The Girl is now a spirit and she has her first confrontation with the Phoenix Witch.

 

PAGE 15:

The S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W unit are talking about the Graffiti Bible, which is the holy gospel according to Destroya. The fact that the droids have their own religion offers a goldmine of story potential. I hope this isn’t the last we’ve seen of this universe. I also hope that we as a people, stop enslaving robots soon. It never ends well.

 

PAGE 16:

The Girl isn’t dead, not quite. She has a destiny to fulfill, but Cola? Yea, he’s dead. Off to a better place.

 

PAGE 17:

Our first true glimpse of the Analog Wars, the page looks as if it was lifted from another book entirely. Cloonan’s artistic ability is impressive as she can shift between styles seamlessly. But the big reveal? The Girl’s mother was once the leader of the Killjoys before she was captured and turned into a Draculoid. But they never captured her soul, which she transferred in the her unborn daughter. The teases of the past have been very interesting, almost like the island on Arrow. You get just enough, but it’s never bothersome and always interesting.

 

PAGE 18:

The Girl’s destiny is that she is a bomb. She has the power to destroy Battery City. She can give life to the robots or can take it away. She is essentially a robot Jesus. This opens up a flood of religious allegory that had passed over me during the initial series read through. It is very clever how Way & Simon managed to keep the reader guessing The Girl’s true roll in this society. Also, Blue appears to wake Destroya? We’ll know more next issue I’m sure.

 

PAGE 19:

The Phoenix Witch drops some knowledge on The Girl, telling her that violence is a temporary solution. To really make a difference, The Girl has to become something more than a bomb, she has to become an ideal… She has to become Batman.

 

PAGE 20:

The Girl wakes up, chops off her locks and begins to drag Cola’s body. Great use of inks on this page. Love the way Cloonan and Jackson silhouette the girl and Cola against the purple and black sky.

 

PAGE 21:

With Dr. Death Defying and Cola now buried, The Girl enters hero mode. Fans of the series will no doubt notice that The Girl is wearing her ‘killjoys’ outfit. A nice throw-back to the music videos that followed the release of Danger Days! (which I begged you to listen too before diving into this series. If you didn’t, click HERE then HERE). This is the moment in the book where I let out a little fan boy squeal.

 

PAGE 22:

Val is such a d-bag character that i will be actually disappointed if he bites it in the finale. A character that unlikeable is hard to pull off and Way & Simon must have a soft spot for him to make it this far. Death would be too easy for him. He’s like a cockroach, he will always survive. That will/should be his penance.

 

PAGE 23:

BOOM. Do I need to say more? A one word cliffhanger that speaks volumes. I can say I have some suspicions about about how the series will end, but I will keep those to myself. Way & Simon have managed to keep me guessing this far and no doubt they will keep me guessing long after the series is over.

 

SUPPLEMENT A:

I haven’t mentioned the supplement material before as I like to keep some surprises, but this being the type of analysis where I discuss page after page, I do have to include this. This issue features an excerpt from the Graffiti Bible. Supplement A being the cover. We get a nice sketch of Destroya as well as an advert for the Porno droid, mainly one featuring Red (RIP). Knowing that Gerard Way has a visual arts background, I am curious if this is his work.

 

SUPPLEMENT B:

Here, we get the droid version of the Our Father. I am really excited to see Destroya rise. Also if you fill in some blanks, the red at the top appears to say “When the electricity stops we will be saved.”

 

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Even when viewed under a magnifying glass, The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys #5 continues to be a Sci-fi marvel that mirrors our societies cruxifiction of the individual, despite our longing to be one. With the glorification of violence followed quickly by its all-too-real consequences, Way & Co. have created a contradictory parable for the ADD generation and a tale of a revolution that's only a tweet away.

 

The True Live of the Fabulous Killjoys >>> Chapter 5: Waking the Destroya!
Script>>> Gerard Way & Shaun Simon
Art>>> Becky Cloonan
Colours>>> Dan Jackson
Letters>>> Nate Piekos of BLAMBOT
Covers>>> Becky Cloonan & Gabriel Bá
Publisher>>> Dark Horse Comics
Purchase>>> https://digital.darkhorse.com/

Our Score:

9/10

A Look Inside