Trouble In Paradise Averted, But At A Cost: Reviewing ‘The Prodigy: The Icarus Society’ #5
by Olly MacNamee
Summary
Edison Crane may be a genius but the way he escapes his captors in ‘The Prodigy: The Icarus Society’ #5 is one of the oldest tricks in the book. A trick that weakens what should have been a grand and verbose finale to an otherwise engaging series.
Overall
8/10The Prodigy: The Icarus Society #5 sees the curtain come down on the last series featuring Edison Crane, super brain. Although, as we have seen in this series, he’s not the only super genius on the planet. Although it doesn’t take a member of Mensa to predict that Crane was never going to be out smarted in his own series. And so it comes to pass that he gets out of this latest globe-trotting adventure, and in a rather cliched way. An escape plan that you will have seen many a time before. But then, I suppose, it’s not how he gets out of this predicament that is the selling point of this story but rather the world building that Mark Millar has delivered as well as his trademark surprise ending. One that can easily be made use of again should Millar wish to return to the fabled haunts of Shangri-La, now an integral part of Crane’s world. Still, it does sting that such a large intellect escapes in a rather mundane and unintellectual way. Especially after some very clever inclusions across the five-issue series Millar has plotted.
With any quest story – and this does come under the remit of this classic narrative – characters are changed and a new status quo is revealed once the dust settles. And in this case it’s the dust settling on a rather cinematic style bust up high in the Himalayas. Although, as you will discover, his quest isn’t over yet.
Creating a sense of the cinematic and dramatic is artist Matteo Buffagni who’s clean lines help delineate scene that are necessarily crowded to convey the large scale finale one would expect from this James Bond-esque adventure. David Curiel’s colours also set the appropriate tones, and final shifts, particularly in one rather explosive moment that is momentarily foreshadowed only a panel earlier with deep reds; a sure sign of imminent danger.
All-in-all not necessarily the most original of final issues with Crane, ultimately, seeming to get out of this one a bit too conveniently.
The Prodigy: The Icarus Society #5 is out now from Image Comics