Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Storm Shadow #5
DDP
Hama & Hueso

A new arc for Storm Shadow. This one is an all inclusive story so it is perfect for the new reader or the casual reader. Storm Shadow shows his ninja skills which is a plus. But he also shows his detective skills.

Storm Shadow finds himself in Germany investigating a string of murders. Sound out of place? It is until it is determined the murders are done Samurai style with a certain type of "cut".

Storm Shadow uses his past ninja training and past studies to piece together the style used in killing, the possible motive and pieces of the profile of the suspect.

Storm Shadow shows he is quite crafty for a mercenary and it actually adds some depth to his character. He isn’t just some a hired fighter. He's a brainy guy as well.

The issue has some action in it as well. Storm Shadow faces off with a ninja robot. This is a strange foe for him, but the more disappointing aspect of this is we have no idea where the robot came from or what it's motive is. It shows up and Storm Shadow deals with it. End of story. Perhaps this will be leveraged in a future story.

One giant step forward in terms of character advancement is Storm Shadow's interaction with a woman. His contact in Germany follows him around for much of the issue and this is really the first woman we have seen him interact with beyond a few conversations with Scarlett or Baroness. It isn’t his love interest per se, but this showed a good layer to Storm Shadow I hadn’t really seen before. It certainly opens up the door to possibilities.

The comic has a nice mix of background on the murders, street chase scene, some detective work, a dead-end lead and the final clues falling into place leading to the confrontation. It's a solid story. It doesn’t live up to the parent GI Joe title, but it's fast paced story mixing action and dialog. And any time Storm Shadow does some sword fighting you usually get your money's worth.

This issue finds a new artist. Now I really liked the previous artist's rendition of Storm Shadow, but this one isn’t bad either. The issue has a very advanced cartoon-like feel to it. Which isn’t a bad thing when dealing with a seven foot tall robot. This take on Storm Shadow may not be my personal favorite but the art work is solid all the same.

I still am trying to get a handle on where this series is leading us to. Is it going to continue being a detective type story line? Will Storm Shadow's past be dealt with more at all? Will we ever see a personal life to Storm Shadow outside of his ninja family? I'm betting he's a cat person.

A solid issue to jump on to if you aren’t in this series yet. This comic delivers a blend of ninjas, mystery and strength of character. It moves quickly and doesn’t waste any space. I enjoyed it. But I hold this series to the standard of the main title and therefore, it suffers a little bit. Add in that Hama is the writer and I want the moon AND the stars.

3.5 out of 5 geek goggles.


G.I. Joe Storm Shadow #5