Comic Review: Punk Mambo #5

Punk Mambo #5

Valiant Entertainment

Writer: Cullen Bunn

Art: Adam Gorham & José Villarrubia

We reach the end of the story of the most rebellious sorcerer to come out of London ever since John Constantine and this chapter has Punk written all over it.

This chapter starts off with getting rid of Renaud, Azaire’s priest to be. Therefore it is only Punk Mambo and Josef going straight into combat against Azaire, now possessing the power of all the Loa, and Uncle Gunnysack who’s still around in another person’s body. Punk believes to have the upper hand in this fight since she’s used to magic but she’s not counting on being pulled into Azaire void.

Cullen Bunn’s writing is my cup of tea. He doesn’t waste time with unnecessary moments and just keeps the action going AND manages to develop the character while he’s at it. Another thing I like about his writing is how he writes magic, and this issue doesn’t disappoint. He kicks off the comic by having Punk Mambo explain how the Loa possess human beings while showing her do the same to Renaud which was just a genius sequence. Later in the issue, he explores how emotions can be used to the magician’s advantage if they know about it. But the most interesting approach, which Bunn has kept throughout this comic is the difference between Punk Mambo’s and Josef’s magic. Bunn uses that discrepancy, in skill and complexity, to make it obvious, to the reader and to other characters, that Punk Mambo is much more experienced than she appears to be, fitting perfectly with her persona.

Adam Gorham and José Villarrubia’s work has been amazing for the duration of this series but in this chapter the art team just let themselves go nuts! First of all, they do a wonderful job of making Azaire look like the scariest and most powerful creature on Earth (which is what he’s supposed to be) mainly basing his appearances on a deep contrast between darkness and the red light from his magic. Another sequence where the artwork is sublime takes place inside Azaire’s void. The environment is full of colors and shapes which clearly references Steve Ditko’s early stuff for Doctor Strange, though the Loa and Punk Mambo don’t look just one solid color (or just normal) they look faded and out of context, resembling that they don’t actually belong in that place.

Overall, this was a fun series to read. Charismatic characters, exciting mystical action and a pinch of actual terror here and there. Punk Mambo ends with a tease for a sequel, however, in case it doesn’t get one, this was a great series on its own. It presents a quirky combination of ideology and mysticism while maintaining an interesting plot with a marvelous artwork all the way through the end.

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