Of all the comics I read last year, Vanish was the one that hooked me from the very first page. Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman delivered gold with their run on Venom, and they managed to take it to the next level with this comic. Not to mention the story hook, which more or less boils down to “The Books Of Magic filtered through Image’s early days”. I was all but eager for the title to return…but the end results left me a bit befuddled.
A brief recap: Vanish follows Oliver Harrison, who at age 14 was prophesied to save the magical realm of Everkeep from the dreaded Baron Vanish. In the battle, Oliver’s parents were killed, leading him to travel to Earth and shoot Vanish in the face. Vanish’s followers, the Hollow, managed to escape and formed a new life as the superhero team the Prestige. Oliver, now an adult and suffering from immense trauma, decided to end their threat.
Or did he? That’s the question Vanish #5 asks as it opens with Oliver supposedly locked away in a mental institution. The head psychiatrist bears an uncanny resemblance to his late teacher Orrin. It also turns out that his substance use led to a dangerous psychotic break, and the villains he’s been fighting are actually innocent people. But if that’s the case, why does he keep having visions of an entirely different world?
This latest story development left me feeling torn throughout the entire issue. The idea of a protagonist grapping with the fact that their double life may be all in their head has made for some great stories. TV shows, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Batman: The Animated Series particularly, have used it to great effect. But for Cates and Stegman to put such a twist this early in the series feels like a reach to keep the reader interested. Even crazier is yet another twist that happens later in the issue that feels like it should have been the major thrust of the story – especially as it was hinted at in the previous issue!
Despite the narrative hiccups, Stegman’s art remains sharp as ever. It’s interesting to see a different side to the characters we’ve gotten to know over the past few issues, and their roles in Oliver’s life. Orrin was his teacher, so it makes sense for him to still be a figure of authority as the head doctor. His wife Elyn still remains a driving force in his life, with the book taking on a lighter hue the minute she arrives. Stegman also employs a visual cue to show the shifting realities, as light fades in and out.
Another visual touch features the panels being separated by jagged, square-like borders representing puzzle pieces. But for my money, the best part comes in a two page spread where Oliver’s “condition” is discussed. All the images take place within shattered panes of glass instead of the usual panel structure, and look like they’re flying at the reader. It’s a nice way to shake up the visuals while also hinting at Oliver’s fractured mental state.
The rest of the art team matches Stegman panel for panel. JP Meyer’s inks continue to add shadows to every corner, while Sonia Oback’s coloring flips between the banal white of a padded cell and the black, murky waters of a sewer. Lettering wise, John J. Hill will make you feel every punch that’s being thrown and every explosion that happens. Even if the story is a bit shaky, the art more than makes up for it.
Vanish #5 kicks off its second story arc, though the art is more or less carrying a shaky script. The strongest part of this series is that it wore its ’90s influences on its sleeve, making sure its story had just as much oomph as its art. I hope that tradition continues in future issues, because not everything about the ’90s needs to be replicated.
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