The Devil’s Son Unleashed In Reaver #5
by Josh Davison
Mild Spoilers Ahead
Essen Breaker, the Devil’s Son, has been unleashed upon the Anvil. His bloodlust overtakes him, and he slaughters Escalene by the dozens. Rekala and her escapees arrive to give Essen backup, and things seem to be going well. However, inside the Anvil, Mahan, Marris, and Thes have been betrayed by Eddos. Marris has been killed and Mahan and These incapacitated. The Escalene take Thes and Mahan to be interrogated while the Escalene’s worker tries to extract knowledge from Marris and provide an advantage for the Escalene in their fight against Essen and Rekala.
Reaver #5 provides the brutal bloodbath I’ve been waiting for. Essen Breaker set loose like a blood-starved beast, and Rekala backs him up. Truth be told, these two are my favorite characters in Reaver, and seeing them live up to the comic’s title is downright delightful.
That’s not all the comic has to offer, of course. Eddos’ betrayal of Marris would seem to have brought this whole mission crashing down, but Thes has more up her sleeve. Meanwhile, all Mahan can do is watch and hope.
The Escalene worker is a fairly fun character in himself. We don’t learn much about him in this issue, but he displays a good bit of personality.
That said, Eddos Breaker does steal the show in the book. All the bloody fun we get from his slaughter comes at a great personal cost. The Devil’s Son is at war with the beast within himself, and even the killing of Escalene slavers brings him anguish.
Rebekah Isaacs brings this carnage and mayhem to us in brilliant and captivating detail. Every page drips with power, and color artist Alex Guimaraes gives the book a vibrant palette which keeps all of this bloodshed explosive and lively.
Reaver #5 is an endlessly fun issue which brings this fantasy epic to its thrilling climax. Essen Breaker and Rekala get to cut loose, and we learn what Thes has been hiding all this time through her silence. It’s a damn good read and easily earns a strong recommendation. Give it a read.
Reaver #5 comes to us from writer Justin Jordan, artist Rebekah Isaacs, color artist Alex Guimaraes, letterer Clayton Cowles, and cover artist Becky Cloonan.
Final Score: 9.5/10
