Rob reviews Raze #5...
Samuel Willis and Tremayne Pimm are back with issue 5 of their comic book series, Raze.
With tensions within the group at an all-time high, they now have to deal with Mark who's gone missing in the woods. Meanwhile, Joe (who's infected by the virus) has escaped from the house and is also loose in the very same woods...
Last time I sat down with Raze I had a bit of a mixed reaction. While it's easy to see both Willis and Pimm's passion for their project, it's a little disjointed. Where the duo does well in portraying the impending horror and tension within their character group. It's then let down by some odd pacing, and it's a general sense of shallowness.
So, how does Raze #5 fair?
Picking up straight after the events seen in issue #4, Raze #5 opens with Victoria's realization that Joe has gone from near-death to disappearing altogether. As she alerts Ashley and Ian to the situation, we then switch to youngster Mark as he's being chased through the woods. With the youngster stopping for breath, we then see who - or what is chasing him, and it just so happens to be Joe.
Meanwhile, Bucky has been sent to the junkyard to alert Sarah and Ricky of the situation. However, things then get worse as, Sarah realizes (much to her horror) that Mark has vanished - leaving only his soccer ball behind. The group then heads off in search of Mark whilst leaving Victoria at the junkyard with Ian's cell phone. We then jump back into the woods as the "thing" that was Joe is now in pursuit of the very frightened Mark. With time not on their side, the rest of the group needs to find the youngster pretty quickly!
When it comes to writing, Raze #5 is fairly consistent and everything is paced pretty well. Unlike the previous issues, we do get a lot of characterization in this one. This is mainly focused on Ashley who's starting to act like the group's leader. It's quite a decent shift in the narrative as back in the opening issue it felt like the story would gravitate around Ian. Other than Ashley, everyone else is still a relatively blank slate. The only other sense of personality breaking through is from Ray, who debates leaving the group.
Unlike its action-oriented predecessors, Raze #5 is fairly dialogue-heavy. However, what action we do get does a great job of breaking up the talking head moments. Seen as a horror-filled game of cat and mouse, these scenes focus on the frightened Mark as he delves deeper into the woods. The tension and fear are portrayed brilliantly with plenty of close-up angles that literally show the horror in Marks eyes and viewpoints that often show the youngster back - giving a sense that he is running away. There's a lot here that is very reminiscent of both The Walking Dead's season 2 opener, with a slight splash of Blair Witch.
While the bulk of this issue is pretty good, I do have some reservations about its ending - it's just too sudden. Granted, there does need to be a hook to keep you coming back for Raze #6. But here it just seems too sudden. If Wills and Primm had ended the issue with that shot of Marks's sneaker, I'm my opinion it would have made more of an impact. Instead, we get Ricky simply asking if the boy is even in the woods.
Tre Primm and Ben Willis return for art duties, and considering its simplicity - it's quite effective. The duo utilizes plenty of sharp line work that gives everything a clean look. The use of shadow is also presented well, and this is especially prevalent with the opening of the issue. Meanwhile, the characters take on a slight anime style, which is quite pleasing too!
Overall, Raze is a fairly competent indie comic book. The passion of its creators shines across each page, and it's literally brimming with plenty of zombie, horror, and action ideas. It's also this melting pot of plots that ultimately stops Raze from being brilliant. For me, there are too many ideas all swimming around the same pool. This then dilutes some plot threads, while others are ignored. Granted, having a crazy infected guy chasing a vulnerable character across a dark wood is pretty gripping, you need the character work too. And yes, while Ashley has seen the bulk of this - there are 6 other characters (in this issue) that need to find their voice.
That being said, there is something about the series that's making me want to see what comes next. And here's hoping it clicks into place soon!
Rating: 7/10
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