Review – Doctor Mirage #5 (Valiant Entertainment)

Everything Must End: Doctor Mirage #5

All things must come to an end. That is the nature of things. And that is the fact that all comic book fans have come to terms with. And yet, it’s a lesson that Shan had never quite learned. Not until Doctor Mirage #5, where she’s finally forced to come to terms with reality.

Doctor Mirage’s latest series has been psychedelic and dramatic, proving that you can indeed combine those elements with shockingly intense emotional scenes. So it’s no surprise to learn that Doctor Mirage #5 has upped the ante to bring us a dramatic conclusion.

As always, it’s sad to see a brilliant series go. But it is always better to see the tale end when it should rather than see it get stretched out beyond reason. And this fact runs some ironic parallels with the plot itself.

Writing

Wow. What an ending! Magdalane Visaggio’s Doctor Mirage series has been full of surprises. But none so surprising as Doctor Mirage #5. It’s dramatic and emotional and carries with it several heavy points that it wants to make.

This issue is what the entire series has been building up to. And in some ways, it’s the issue that Doctor Mirage’s entire backlog has been building to as well. It’s the natural progression for both her plot and her character.

And it’s a very poignant and moving issue. This was not an easy issue to read in that it will elicit all sorts of reactions and emotions from the readers. The juxtaposition between life and death, love and loss, is so overwhelmingly strong in this issue. You can’t avoid it, nor can you run from it. And there’s a lesson in that.

Art

Throughout Doctor Mirage, fans have come to expect a few things from this series. Vibrant colors, psychedelic scenes, and a delicate balance between action and introspective nature. And Doctor Mirage #5 is full of all of that.

It is arguably the most surreal issue of the series, in some ways. The colors and scenes portrayed are dramatic and entirely out of this world. And yet, there’s so much depth behind everything that is happening. It’s awe-inspiring.

Nick Robles’ artwork is truly remarkable here, giving us a version of Shan as we’ve never seen her before. The character expressions are a highlight in this issue, as is the way he portrays powers and spirits.

And it’s no surprise that Jordie Bellaire’s colors are blinding in their brightness, giving the series that hallucinogenic vibe I’ve talked so much about. The colors are so vibrant as to almost feel like they have a life of their own. And that fits in perfectly with this plot.

And finally, Dave Sharpe did it again. His understated and careful lettering really brought the whole issue together. It’s everything a fan could have hoped to see.

Conclusion

Doctor Mirage #5 was a breathtaking read. As with any series conclusion, it had a strong bittersweet sense to it. But it also fulfilled the promises that have been made during the entire arc.

It may have left fans with many questions. But it also left one single, vitally important promise. That promise? Doctor Mirage will be back.

This review was originally written for Word of the Nerd, but has been ported over to Quirky Cat’s Fat Stacks now that the site has shut down.