Is this tale of crooked cops, office politics and brutal slayings still worth a pick-up? Read on to find out.

The official description from Dynamite:

A close encounter with one of their own leaves Red Team on uncertain ground, while Eddie faces problems at home. So no one’s quite ready when a very bad night in the ghetto catapults our heroes into a tense situation beyond their wildest nightmares…

There’s a lot at stake as this comic hits local stands. In a world where law enforcement corruption has become so serialized that we see it on TV, in movies, video games and news reports it can be a hard sell for any level of originality.   The repetition of themes take away from this creative team’s efforts in what should be a compelling yarn.  Even as this outing overcomes some of those hiccups it’s blatantly obvious when certain plot twists occur.

Guns go off but somehow Garth Ennis finds the heart of this tale full of unnecessary but good details. I’ve been fairly critical of the script work found here, but this is the turning point for the franchise in my honest opinion.  The groundwork has been put in place and now the author is able to freely move his pieces as he sees fit.  The primary team of protagonists have been through the wringer as they continue their path to delve out their own brand of justice but none of them were prepared for what they might find within these mean streets.

Th art by Craig Cermak is outstanding.  The talent has found a way to pull off simple but detailed designs that easily breath live into the proverbial page.  As the narrative evolves he delivers a visual cadence that blends authenticity with a harsh hyper reality.  The end result is a compelling piece to the complex puzzle, that’s so good, if there were only images here it would still be worth the price of admission.

Garth Ennis’ Red Team #5 is a gripping entry in a series that’s been plagued by over used ideas.  Nonetheless this release earns a recommendation.

4/5