A Plague Of Lovers And Rats: Faithless #5 Reviewed
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
Faith must grapple with the death of another friend, this time Max. Unfortunately, Poppy and her father aren’t helping Faith much in the recovery. Things worsen when Faith discovers that Poppy, like Faith herself, has another lover that she’s seeing while they’re apart. Faith goes to meet up with a friend to get another perspective on what’s happening. Finally, on Faith’s way home, she has another ominous run-in with the homeless woman.
Faithless #5 finds Faith dealing with more loss and confusion. Poppy isn’t quite who Faith thought she was, and the irony there is that Poppy’s more like Faith than even Faith thought.
Much of the comic is Faith’s friend, who is a mother, trying to talk some sense into Faith about her feelings and disappointment with Poppy. Namely that Faith has been seeing someone else too, and that love is a complicated thing.
This is followed by more evidence that something supernatural is going on with the homeless woman and another bizarre incident involving her.
We are reaching a breaking point with the seemingly bizarre events that surround Faith, both those that would be considered possible and the impossible. Something is coming for Faith and Poppy, and I’m left excited to see how that shakes out next issue.
Maria Llovet’s artwork continues to be stunning in its grounded yet heavily stylized depiction of Faith and the world and people around her. Llovet’s style captures both the subtle and overt expressions, and it gives enough of an otherworldly vibe as to make the unnatural events still seem fitting in this comic. Her color art is brilliant as well in how it blends shades and creates a delicate balance in the contrasts.
Faithless #5 is another compelling journey through the complicated world of Faith’s romantic and social lives. Things are more confusing and painful than she could have ever considered, and that conflict is made all the more grabbing alongside the strange and seemingly impossible events that surround Faith. This one gets another recommendation. Feel free to give it a read.
Faithless #5 comes to us from writer Brian Azzarello, artist and letterer Maria Llovet, cover artist Paul Pope with Daniel Semanas, and variant cover artists Becky Cloonan and Eduardo Risso.
Final Score: 8/10