Home Sick Pilots #5 Review

by Nick Devonald on April 14, 2021

Writer: Dan Watters
Artist: Caspar Wijngaard
Letters: Aditya Bidikar

This issue marks the end of the first story-arc before Home Sick Pilots takes a brief break for a few months, and it’s clear from reading it that these first five issues have only been focused on introducing the characters and setting the story up. There’s been a focus on the relationship between Ami and the house and the bond between them. It was a connection based on loneliness, but now that Ami has learnt her friends came looking for her, and the house manipulated hid them from her, the basis for their whole relationship is up in the air. But rather than spelling disaster for their connection this could end up paving the way for a different type of relationship.

Throughout the series Dan Watters has made sure to include Ami’s friends in the story, even when they were relegated to the side-lines. Buzz’s role has ended up being incredibly important to the story, his loyalty towards Ami, and his refusal to give her up as lost, has been important to the overall story. Rip on the other hand has spent his time stuck in a downward spiral. Then we learned in the last issue that Meg has been alive all this time, trapped inside the house, literally covered in her friend’s blood. All of this goes towards making sure that the upcoming storylines are personal, the grudges are real, and there is some real emotion behind it all. It’s skilful storytelling from Watters and makes this excellent series even more exciting to watch.

The first pages of the comic teased the house getting up and walking, an exciting premise with myriad possibilities, but the rest of the story arc has been focused on getting readers to that point. Well this issue has reached that point now, and we get to learn how this is possible, and it opens the story up to so many new and exciting opportunities.

Caspar Wijngaard’s art has been fantastic throughout the series. The ghost fights have been amazing, giving Wijngaard a chance to demonstrate his creativity and looking phenomenal. They are unlike anything else out there. But if you’ve been impressed in the past then you are going to be amazed in this issue. He builds upon everything that he’s already done but even bigger and better, and what follows is some of the most creative and stunning artwork in a comic ever.

The series is beginning to live up to its initial premise of Power Rangers meets The Shining. The storytelling is personal and raw, and this first story-arc does an incredible job of introducing the world, establishing the characters and the stakes, and getting readers excited for whatever comes next. Readers have barely scratched the surface of the deeper mythology Watters has introduced, and coupled with the unbelievably good art from Wijngaard, this combines to make this one of the most original and exciting comics on the market.

Our Score:

8/10

A Look Inside