Comic Review: War of the Realms (2019-) #5

War of the Realms (2019-) #5

Marvel Comics

Writer: Jason Aaron

Artist: Russell Dauterman

I don’t like arguing with people, but I got into an argument online recently over War of the Realms. Some people said it’s not a good story. I very much believe that everyone has a right to their own opinion when it comes to things like this. I like an egg on my burger, some people might not, we’re both valid and I respect that. But in the case of this comic book, those people are wrong. They’re wrong or they’re reading a completely different comic book than I am. War of the Realms is every bit as great as it’s built up to be, and more.

We should all know the deal by now, this being the penultimate issue of the event. But in case you’ve been out of the loop, Malekith and his war have reached Earth. The Avengers, Asgardians and their allies from other realms have fought to defend it. War of the Realms #5 (this issue) we see the tide of battle turning in favor of our heroes. Across the world, various teams of heroes work with elves, trolls, and other mystical beings to save their world and win the war.

This comic is filled with so many moments I can only describe as “epic” and “awesome”. This issue is just page, after page of various different heroes teaming up with various mythical creatures. The Punisher and the Light Elves, Iron Man and “War Machine” Dwarves, among others. I’m not really complaining about that too much, because again “epic and awesome”. Those two words adequately describe my feelings towards this issue. The only thing though, is that the story doesn’t move forward all that much. There’s a big development that happens, but it’s mostly just a montage of the various battles across the world. I’m not sure how any tie-in comics are left, but I don’t think they’ll cover most of what we see here. It feels like a really big tease for something we (probably) won’t see.

I can’t get over how good this comic looks. Russell Dauterman and Matthew Wilson create a truly beautiful art style together. Just on the first page, there are some very impressive visuals. The World Tree Yggdrasil growing/burning on the surface of the sun, and the all-seeing cosmic eyes of Daredevil. This issue is, like I said, kind of a montage of the various heroes and their battles across the world. But each page is its own kind of “wow” moment by itself. There’s a different tone to each page, and every hero has their own unique style of fighting on display. Spider-Man swinging from a web, She-Hulk is using her brute strength. Did I mention War Machine Dwarves, because those are a thing in here, and they look fantastic.

I am loving this event, no question about it. I think this issue, in particular, might be the weakest point, as far as moving the story along. But there’s still some big developments that happen. There’s a lot of fun team-ups between Earth heroes and other races and creatures of the ten realms. The art is absolutely gorgeous throughout the issue. If you aren’t, you should be reading this. Or else I’ll argue with you on the internet.