Yondu #5 Review

by Nick Devonald on February 05, 2020

Writers: Zac Thompson & Lonnie Nadler
Artist: John McCrea
Colors: Mike Spicer
Letters: VC’s Joe Caramagna

So here we are, at the conclusion to the Yondu mini-series. Yondu has been a real hit for me. It may have taken a few issues to get going but I’ve really enjoyed it. I just hope people weren’t put off by the weak start and have stuck with it otherwise they’ll be missing out on a fantastic series. I suspect it will read really well as a trade. So how well does it work as a conclusion to the whole series? Simple answer – Really well.

It manages to bring all the threads together and weave them into a satisfying conclusion. There’s plenty of action. All the character development that’s been hinted at throughout gets a chance to shine as well. Present day Yondu in particular has changed as the series has gone on and I like where his story ends. He started off so jaded, and while he is still pretty jaded by the end there’s been some real growth as a character.

The humour we’ve come to expect is there as well. There’s also sacrifice, sadness, and hope. There’s plenty of cameo’s from Marvel Cosmic characters as well. And surprises too. I don’t want to go into too much to avoid spoilers. If you’ve made it this far through the series you’ll be picking this up and enjoying it. If you’ve remained on the fence then I really recommend picking up the whole series, even if you wait for the trade, overall it’s been really good.

I’ve mentioned in previous reviews how much I’ve enjoyed John McCrea’s art. If you were to compare it to your typical Marvel, or superhero in general, art it’s very different. But this isn’t your typical Marvel story either. We’re living in the seedy underbelly. It’s supposed to be dingy and scruffy, this isn’t the Guardians of the Galaxy. It’s sleazy and that’s exactly what McCrea’s art manages to portray. It sets the scene and the tone really well.

And his action scenes are brilliant. The fights are down and dirty. There are some incredibly chaotic and frantic fights in this issue and they’re outstanding. There’s a constant motion in some of the panels which really brings across the insanity in some of the fights.

And that brings me onto Mike Spicer’s colors. He outdoes himself in this issue. Since we’ve got some epic cosmic battles the number of colors on display with some of the fights need to be seen.

This has been a brilliant conclusion to a great series, the final couple of pages really show how much the Yondu’s have influenced each other in their time together. Zac Thompson & Lonnie Nadler make a great team on writing, John McCrea’s art brings their story to life with some fantastic action. I recommend not only this issue but the whole series.

Our Score:

9/10

A Look Inside