The penultimate issue of this sordid series is here, but has the saga lost its narrative substance?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Image:

Welcome to Los Angeles, 1984. A trying time and a difficult place for relationships of every stripe, as old lovers fall out and new ones fall in. And Las Vegas, 1991, where and when nostalgia for a carefree world of sexual depravity makes for the strangest bedfellows.

Let’s start this review off the right way, yes Black Kiss II is a comic book that’s strictly meant for mature audience members since there is an enormous amount of bodily exposure in it, but that doesn’t mean it lacks a story to tell.  Quite the opposite, since this moody series has a dirty mind but somewhat true intentions as it seeks to expose some of the darkest aspects of human nature in the most depraved ways possible.

Howard Chaykin pens the script once more on his downright disturbing but intriguing romp.  His grasp of vocabulary lights the way through a mist of terrible scenes that reek of a vileness few authors seek to cover in their work.  The dialogue is strong, the pacing is sturdy but the tale itself drags along.  To the detriment of this narrative it honestly feels like we’ve read these scenes before, which yields a few lackluster moments.

Howard Chaykin handles the art once more and he does a spectacular job realizing his characters.  Each line and carefully placed detail reveals layers in this world that to the untrained eye would simply go unnoticed.  He captures backgrounds and emotions in a captivating way that makes it hard to not stop and admire the work on display.

Black Kiss II #5 is a steamy but at times shallow continuation that starts to make the series look like it’s really overstayed its welcome.  But between some decent revelations and a bit of a twist this issue squeaks by with a light recommendation.

3/5