After X’s battle with gruesome battle with Berkshire he now has to take on an old enemy, the Accountant, the one who got away but not the one who will escape X’s justice.

Official description from DARK HORSE:
Disguised as harmless suburbanites, ‘the Rents’ are actually psychotic assassins, determined to take their place at the top of Arcadia’s food chain. Leigh delivers X’s traditional warning . . . but ends up in a construction-site firefight with some very unpleasant soccer moms!

Issue’s #1-4 of X was a continuing arc whereas issue #5 feels more like a one-shot but still exciting, violent and a solid read. This is a straight up battle against crime and terror and the villains are as unique as their leader. While the Accountant is the one who settles the score his henchmen are Mother Nature and Mother Invention, mild-mannered mom’s in appearance but deadly assassins in action. It’s such a unique twist on the villain that it makes it that much more fun.

Duane Swierczynski plays loose and fast with the rules here and it may seem absurd on the surface but it’s truly a whole hell of a lot of fun in the end. What Swierczynski is really setting up here with this story is Leigh’s new role in X’s war and by the end she may be second-guessing her choice to join X. While previous issues she was merely bait, now she’s a full on player and she gets more than she bargained when she stares down the guns of “The Mothers.”

There’s no glamour here in being a crime fighter and Leigh is discovering her ability, or lack there of, to handle it. We also get a quick peak into X’s mind through a nightmare resulting from the bloody fight with Berkshire and his pig-face. He’s as psychologically damaged as he is battle weary. In the end it’s a straight up bloodbath fight to the death with Leigh, X, the Mother’s and the Accountant. Again what Swierczynski is setting up is Leigh coming face-to-face with the results of death by bullets, knives and bombs.

Tony Parker handles the art duties here and while not as gritty as Eric Nguyen he still brings plenty of darkness and edge to the pages. His panel layouts direct a solid flow of action and some of his breakout work from them is a nice touch. Overall solid work here and some nice perspectives for dramatic dynamic range through all the action.

Leigh is questioning her dedication, X questions his sanity or maybe it’s just everyone around him and the villains continue to be outrageously fun and disturbingly dangerous. Not sure where X is heading with this stand alone tale but it’s still worth reading if you enjoy the action and chaotic drama X has brought so far. Not as brutal as we’ve seen previously but still enough action to make it as edgy as promised. A solid book and totally worth it if you enjoy over-the-top action and characters.

3.5/5