Goners #5
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Written by: Jacob Semahn
Art by: Jorge Corona
Each issue of Goners has been a whirlwind of adventure and terror barely slowing down so readers can catch their breath. Issue 5 isn’t very different except for some climatic turns and revelations that will alter the future of the Latimers for the rest of the series. It’s a monumental story shift that’s less of an arc and more like the steady trajectory of a rocket. Needless to say, it’s a blast.
The showdown is set at the Bellweather Sanatorium where Zoe and Josiah are in the clutches of the succubus Seph while Francis, Lyle, Ezra, Gail, and Hank prepare to stage a rescue if they can stay alive long enough to enter the place. It’s a fast-paced, white-knuckle, tension-filled issue with an ending you won’t see coming.
The only interludes come from flashbacks that temper the action a bit to add some background and depth to the what’s happening in the present. I imagine Jacob Semahn feverishly working on the script going back and forth from the Latimer kids to the succubus, Francis and company to the Roanoke scenes, it is quite a feat that it all comes together at the end. Granted, a lot happens, it’s a dense issue and you’re probably best served going back like I did and relive the various scenes again to capture every nuance and detail of the story.
It doesn’t hurt that Jorge Corona’s beautifully rendered gothic animated-style is a joy to see while re-reading the pages. Semahn keeps poor Jorge busy as every panel is filled to the brim with action from all angles. The tentacles of the succubus especially appear to be growing with every page turn. Surprisingly and uncharacteristically, Corona does provide a couple of panels that are hard to distinguish what’s going on as they are washed under the lush color palette of Gabriel Cassata.
In the end, Goners #5 is a tour-de-force from a passionate creative team. It’s all been building up to this point.