Daytripper #5 – Review

By: Fabio Moon & Gabriel Ba (writers/artists), Dave Stewart (colors) & Sean Konot (letters)

The Story: An 11-year old boy enjoys an idyllic time of innocence on his family’s farm.

What’s Good: You could almost do a copy/paste for what is good about this title month after month.  Both the story and the art effortlessly capture memorable moments from a person’s life.  In this case, we are focusing on our main character (Bras) as an 11-year-old boy who gets to spend the weekends on his family’s farm.  Part of the reason a story like this is so touching is that it reminds you of being eleven.  The joy of flying a kite.  The mayhem of large family gatherings.  Getting a first kiss from a girl.  Just being a kid without a care in the world.   As an aside, I wonder if this comic connects with women as well as it seems to connect with most men?

I’m really impressed at how well Moon and Ba have come up with a list of these types of events in a person’s life.  But, more impressive is how well they meld the language of the story with the art.  Especially considering they aren’t native English speakers.  They have really mastered the facial expressions and body posture of the characters so you know exactly what their mood is, what they are thinking and how they feel.  Bravo!

This issue also really yanks at your heart and makes you dread the ending.  If you’ve followed Daytripper, you know how they all end and when you open this comic and see that it is about an eleven-year-old boy, the dread creeps over you.  Very effective storytelling, even if it isn’t particularly pleasant.

I also want to give a quick kudos to Dave Stewart.  The coloring in this issue is really nice and I don’t think colorists get enough credit.

Weekly Comic Book Review’s Top Picks

DS’ Top Picks

Pick of the Week: Red Robin #11 – Although Morrison is weaving an exciting web, in my books, all eyes are on Tim Drake. Red Robin #11 delivered action, excitement, danger and guest stars! And surprise (!) Tim Drake is engaged!? Check it out!

Most Anticipated: Brightest Day #0 and Flash #1! It’s a tie! What great a week is it when you get to read two titles by Geoff Johns.

Other Top Picks: Batman #698, Batgirl #9, New Mutants #12, Daredevil #506

Joe’s Top Picks

Pick of the Week: S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 – Packed with enough mad ideas for five comic series and filled with cameos for the lifetime Marvel fan and new characters for the more recent readers, this first issue was damn good.  The sensation I was left with after closing this book was what I always hope to feel when trying a new title out, but rarely ever actually feel.  If you didn’t like this, you just might not like comics.

Most Anticipated: The Flash #1/Brightest Day #0 – The name Geoff Johns has been consistently paired with some great comics over the last few years, and his streak shows no signs of coming to a halt.  And while both Flash: Rebirth and Blackest Night weren’t perfect in my eyes, I still have high expectations for these two new ongoings written by the scribe.  And I mean, really, how can your inner geek not be excited about getting a free Flash ring?!

Other Picks: Secret Six #20, New Mutants #12, Siege: Captain America, X-Factor Forever #2, Punisher MAX #6

Alex’s Top Picks

Pick of the Week: Sweet Tooth #8 -A fantastic new character, a stunning twist, and 22 pages that run the full gamut of genuine human emotions make for an easy pick of the week.  More people need to be reading this book.

Most Anticipated: The Flash #1 -Who doesn’t love the Flash?  With possibly the perfect creative team for this book, there are so many reasons to be excited about this book.  With all the delays Rebirth experienced, I’ve had a serious hankering for a monthly Flash book for a while now.

Other Picks: Brightest Day #0, Daredevil #506, Powers #4, Punishermax #6, Secret Six #20, The Unwritten #12, Fables #94, DMZ #52, The Walking Dead #72

Dean’s Top Picks

Pick of the Week: SHIELD #1 – This is one of the best new comics put out by Marvel in a LONG time.  Fanboy continuity complaints aside, this was a great set-up issue with awesome art.  Now go buy it so that Marvel doesn’t cancel this after 5 issues!

Most Anticipated: New Mutants #12 –  Can’t believe New Mutants would be most anticipated?  Well….it is the next chapter of Second Coming so be sure not to miss it!

Others: Brightest Day #0, Daytripper #5, Forgetless #4, Iron Man Legacy #1, Irredeemable Special #1