Genius #5 Review

Is there any worth left once the dust settles? Read on to find out.

The official description from Image:

GENIUS: ISSUES 1-5, WEEKLY THROUGHOUT AUGUST

The Winner of Top Cow’s Pilot Season makes its triumphant return to print! What if the greatest military mind of our generation was born to a people who are already supremely conditioned to wage war, who know nothing but violence since birth, and must continually adapt to new predators in order to survive? What if the second coming of Alexander the Great, of Genghis Khan, of Napoleon, of Patton…what if it was a teenaged girl from South Central, L.A. named Destiny? And what if she decides to secede three blocks of the ‘Hood from the Union? Who is going to take it back from her and her army of gangbangers? Who CAN?

This is it! The final chapter for a battle ready street level saga has arrived and yes it lived up to the rest of the volume as the creative team crafted a fitting crescendo. To be honest the ending, for me, was never in doubt and that right there is my only gripe in an otherwise expertly realized affair.

Marc Bernardin and Adam Freeman handle the text and the authors do a fine job as they take on the closing moments of this conflict. Their script attempts to wrap up what has become an engaging yarn with several players and one genius at its center. The dialogue is fast and the momentum of the piece never in doubt as we quickly see Destiny come face to face with her fate. In short: the release carried itself well as it raced through a climax toward its resolution.

The illustrations handed in by Afua Richardson prove the talent’s abilities as this comic is given a fitting visual send off that’s honestly second to none. Each page and panel captivates the imagination through carefully placed line work that knows its own limitations while challenging its boundaries within the narrative. And its through that struggle where we see the magic of the display in a sea of panels that ebbs and flows with clear intent.

Genius #5 is what I wanted it to be as the team gave us a final round that fit their arc. Honestly I’d like to see more Destiny, but if this is it then her saga went out on a rather solid note. Recommended.