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Writer: Tony Fleecs
Artist: Dave Wachter
Letterer: Pat Brosseau
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
It’s like a reward. That’s the feeling I got when reading Uncanny Valley #5. This series tells the story of a young boy named Oliver who discovers he is in fact part cartoon, and because of that, some evil forces are after him. He has spent the last few issues with this grandfather running away from those people who wish to do him harm.
Throughout that expedition, we also learned the different rules and how they operate with toons. How certain tricks like walking on air can work in your favor, but also some things that are far more serious like how actually to hurt a toon.
All that came to a head with this issue as the showdown that has been building since issue one finally took off.
Reiling from the supposed loss of Pecos Peet Oliver and his mother are left trying to avoid this evil Witch from taking the blood of Oliver to gain the ultimate power. and that is the major focus of this issue. As we are nearing the end of this arc this issue was dedicated to this massive showdown between the forces of good and evil. Usually, an issue of just action would be a bit light but this also peppers in some key character moments to add a bit of weight.
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Plus this was Dave Wachter’s chance to show exactly what he can do. Throughout this series, Wachter has juggled so much from a multitude of different styles and characters from different worlds existing on the page at the same time. Now all those different forces converge into one massive battle. Things even get a bit serious when a few Toons get erased in graphic fashion, or at least graphic for a Saturday Morning Cartoon.
On a purely visceral level, the action was a blast. It was well paced with a multitude of quick vertical horizontal to keep the action moving. The colors are vibrant and well-mixed to differentiate the toons from the real-life people. The pacing was executed well giving you moments of glee and then horror as the villains get the upper hand. Within that action, some major character moments as well including Oliver’s mother getting her moment to shine.
If there is one complaint it is the heavy reliance on the chosen one trope. Oliver being the secret behind everything makes sense, but it does allow for some convenient moments when the conflict gets complicated. Also, the vague threat of what is at stake does hinder the stakes a bit since it is not fully clear what the plan is possibly leading toward. With that, though we have not gotten to fully define Oliver as a character as he’s been stuck in this whirlwind of a situation. It was a joy seeing him get an opportunity to take charge of this issue and hopefully, those moments continue. Those pieces of course do leave plenty of room to tell more story in the second arc that we hopefully get one day.
Uncanny Valley continues to be a celebration of the power of imagination and the creative spirit. Somehow it can evoke elements of nostalgia yet being completely based on original concepts. Sure the influences to other properties are there but most importantly it captures that freedom of storytelling of both the genre of animation and comic books. If you are a fan of either you would be doing yourself a disservice if you miss out on this series.
