Centipede #5
Dynamite Entertainment 2017
Written by Max Bemis
Illustrated by Eoin Marron
Coloured by Chris O’Halloran
Lettered by Taylor Esposito
Dale's life has been nothing even close to normal since a flying monster descended on his planet and destroyed it, but things get even weirder as he discovers the Centipede's history, in what can only be described as a psychedelic trip down the creature's memory lane.
So this is the final issue and it’s time for Dale and the Centipede to have their battle royal as it were. Everything he’s been through being alone and just with his thoughts and speaking aloud slowly going insane. Well I’m not so sure about the slowly part because he seems pretty far gone and those mushrooms sure didn’t help any. That dream where he and the Centipede mated yeah that was a trip alright. Though at this point I am not so sure it wasn’t a trip or dream as much as it is one of those symbiotic kind of moments and that’s how Dale’s mind processed it. Okay yeah I might be overthinking this but that’s what happens when Max wants you to be super involved in a story he’s writing.
I think what Max does with this with the little references here like the controls of the ship he’s in are fantastic. That he was able to work in the old gaming system and keep it feeling like fits right in is why I enjoy his writing. Also that after all this time hiding and going out and killing spiders you’d have thought that Dale might have flown in one of the planes that were still on the ground. Apparently that’s not the case as we see here but I must admit that the bit of characterisation that comes with all this is sensational. He continues to surprise me as he finds new angles and experiences for Dale.
The battle with the Centipede is well choreographed. It is fun to see unfold and shows off the fact that Dale is serious, for a change, and how crazy he has become. This is how you do some great characterisation while in the midst of action. Also I will say one thing that the visitor that comes to him during his moment of need isn’t whom I thought it would be. After all while love is love it’s very much not the person I had hoped he would need.
Eoin and Chris’s work here is superb. I love the way the city looks as Dale goes for his flight. The use of angles and perspective in the panels that are used in the page layouts here show off a beautiful eye for storytelling. That we see so much attention to detail in all this and that page where we are looking down on the round building is superb. Then there is the whole deal with Dale being inside the Centipede because that takes some creativity and imagination and Eoin has plenty of that as we’ve seen.
That Max is able to continue to surprise me with what happens here is beyond me. Just when you think you may have things figured out he throws curve-balls into at you and the unexpectedness of that while maddening is also very delightful. The ending here is both a nice ending to the current arc and a welcome sight that may lead to another one in the future. So while Dale may have overcome all his fears and inadequateness in this arc they still linger, he’s too fragile of a man.
The fact that he now believes in himself more is a nice sign of things to come. In the meantime this was an unexpectedly fun read based off a popular video game from 1980 and it makes me believe that Atari is finding new life here at Dynamite in ways that entertain and thrill people once again.
Dynamite Entertainment 2017
Written by Max Bemis
Illustrated by Eoin Marron
Coloured by Chris O’Halloran
Lettered by Taylor Esposito
Dale's life has been nothing even close to normal since a flying monster descended on his planet and destroyed it, but things get even weirder as he discovers the Centipede's history, in what can only be described as a psychedelic trip down the creature's memory lane.
So this is the final issue and it’s time for Dale and the Centipede to have their battle royal as it were. Everything he’s been through being alone and just with his thoughts and speaking aloud slowly going insane. Well I’m not so sure about the slowly part because he seems pretty far gone and those mushrooms sure didn’t help any. That dream where he and the Centipede mated yeah that was a trip alright. Though at this point I am not so sure it wasn’t a trip or dream as much as it is one of those symbiotic kind of moments and that’s how Dale’s mind processed it. Okay yeah I might be overthinking this but that’s what happens when Max wants you to be super involved in a story he’s writing.
I think what Max does with this with the little references here like the controls of the ship he’s in are fantastic. That he was able to work in the old gaming system and keep it feeling like fits right in is why I enjoy his writing. Also that after all this time hiding and going out and killing spiders you’d have thought that Dale might have flown in one of the planes that were still on the ground. Apparently that’s not the case as we see here but I must admit that the bit of characterisation that comes with all this is sensational. He continues to surprise me as he finds new angles and experiences for Dale.
The battle with the Centipede is well choreographed. It is fun to see unfold and shows off the fact that Dale is serious, for a change, and how crazy he has become. This is how you do some great characterisation while in the midst of action. Also I will say one thing that the visitor that comes to him during his moment of need isn’t whom I thought it would be. After all while love is love it’s very much not the person I had hoped he would need.
Eoin and Chris’s work here is superb. I love the way the city looks as Dale goes for his flight. The use of angles and perspective in the panels that are used in the page layouts here show off a beautiful eye for storytelling. That we see so much attention to detail in all this and that page where we are looking down on the round building is superb. Then there is the whole deal with Dale being inside the Centipede because that takes some creativity and imagination and Eoin has plenty of that as we’ve seen.
That Max is able to continue to surprise me with what happens here is beyond me. Just when you think you may have things figured out he throws curve-balls into at you and the unexpectedness of that while maddening is also very delightful. The ending here is both a nice ending to the current arc and a welcome sight that may lead to another one in the future. So while Dale may have overcome all his fears and inadequateness in this arc they still linger, he’s too fragile of a man.
The fact that he now believes in himself more is a nice sign of things to come. In the meantime this was an unexpectedly fun read based off a popular video game from 1980 and it makes me believe that Atari is finding new life here at Dynamite in ways that entertain and thrill people once again.
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