Binary Gray #5by Sheena McNeilReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 8 The cover is creepy and cool; the creature is disturbing, and done in an artsy way. But even more than the cover, I love the monstrous transformation of Sleet in the first few pages. It does fall under the trope of non-humans lacking attributes (i.e. genetals), which is very obvious since his clothes rip off (and disappear) and we get a panel shot looking up at him from the "floor." Let me be clear that I'm not asking to see more, but it definitely comes off as a kid-friendly gloss where it's more "magical" than realistic. In the following scene, the main characters for this part all get a panel to show them responding to the attack. Dash (the girl) is shown in what comes off as a (tasteful) pose, even though she is tying her shoe. I'll admit that part of me wondered "really?" until three panels later when we're also given a tasteful bit of beefcake with Alex throwing on a shirt, showing some abs and chest. This gets a thumbs-up for spreading the visual love around. Alex also has the panel that seems most like an "action" shot despite Moth running in his and Wing in flight; it's nicely and naturally done.I like the pacing in this issue a lot. Everything seems real-time as the story switches between the battle to Alex talking with The Cross (the retired one). This allows me to enjoy the battle and follow Alex in learning what's going on and what his situation is looking like. I am informed and entertained! I love Dash's scenes. Her calling out the moves on one page was goofy, but when she actually comes up against Sleet , she's tough as well as fast. Even her punny name-calling is funny. Wing faces him next, and actually deals some damage ... the kind that reveals how hard it is to deal damage to someone made of ice. Moth is downed pretty quick. The current Cross swoops in and kicks some serious butt. All in all a nicely done battle, though I don't get why The Cross throws a mini Chinese flag into Sleet's chest. Like Alex, I feel much more informed, and I appreciate Alex mentally coming to terms with things. There's some nice sneakiness from The Agency in this issue as well, setting things up for the next one, and I can't wait! The end of this issue gives a character page on Wing that's a great bonus. After reading this issue I would recommend fans of X-Men or Ben 10 to check it out. Written: February 1, 2014
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