Seasons #5 // Review
Spring is trying to get the attention of Summer. It’s not easy. She’s so attached to this...mirror. It seems to have completely occupied her every thought and she’s not letting it go. Won’t even acknowledge her own sister. And Spring feels lost in a grand circus that seems to be much more dangerous and sinister than it might appear on the surface. Spring is in great peril in Seasons #5. Writer Rick Remender contnues a surreal horror drama with artist Paul Azaceta and colorist Matheus Lopes. The weirdness of the story begins to settle-down into a satisfying family horror drama in its fifth issue.
Spring is able to pry herself away from the crowd for long enough to catch the attention of her sister Winter. Winter had specifically told Spring to stay inside and Spring had specifically disobeyed her. It’s not like she doesn’t have good reason to be afraid of Spring leaving the house. After all...it IS dangerous out there and they HAVE lost their parents. It would be a great deal safer for everyone involved for them ALL to stay in the house, but reflections keep drawing things further and further away from safety for Spring.
Remender has a solid sense of cleverness in the execution of the action. Spring’s concern over everything is a force of nature that draws the reader into the adventure as it progresses. The central conflict of the series is pushing her around. The full reveal of the reality of the conflict makes some considerable sense of things in an issue that seems to be leading the series to its climax. It’s well-balanced stuff that feels like it’s still got a few surprises up its sleeve. The full ensemble that Remender is working with delivers a rich dynamic that continues to feel quite captivating.
Azaceta draws Spring as an endlessly relatable little girl who is understandably exasperated with the situation. She’s a very magnetic presence on the page. Winter also comes across with a suitably powerful sense of drama. The contrast between the emotionality of them and the flatly masked emotionlessness of the villain makes a powerful center to the drama. I all fits together quite well with a visual style the feels reminiscent of the 1960s on the page. Lopes’ deliciously washed-out pastels amplify that faded feeling of a dream on its way to morning. Visually dreamlike and poetic stuff.
The central conflict isn’t terribly interesting, but the family drama that draws it all together is more than enough to keep it appealing from cover to cover. Spring rests at the center of it all. There may be a relatively predictable ending on the other end of the final panel of the series, but the emotionality of Spring makes Seasons a journey well worth taking. There’s an elegant simplicity to the fantasy of the horror the keeps it all so appealing as the issues continue to progress towards the inevitable conclusion of a satisfying story.
