Twilight Zone #5- Silence is Not Safety

What do you do when no one will listen to you, and then suddenly someone finally does? This is the question at the heart of Twilight Zone #5. This nautical adventure takes place as a special team seeks to gain information from a recent meteor crash on Earth. Will they listen to what needs to be heard?

Catch up with the Nerd Initiative review of Twilight Zone #4.

Creative Team

Writers: L. Marlow Francavilla and Francesco Francavilla
Artist: Francesco Francavilla
Cover Artist: Robert Hack
Published by IDW Publishing

Writing

I really enjoyed the writing of this issue. It felt like a fun, enjoyable read. One of my favorite things about this Twilight Zone series is how each issue is a self-contained story. This leads to various settings, styles, and narratives that the Francavillas take full advantage of.

This story feels so drastically different than the last issue, and it’s not a bad thing. Where the last issue focused on a more modern feel, the Francavillas craft an issue that feels very Cold War-like in its execution and storyline. While still being true to the Twilight Zone style, they tell a story of being heard that most people can probably relate to at the base level. At one point and time in our lives, most of us have felt like we had something important to say and no one would listen. With their storytelling, the Francavillas create a character in Dr. Sorensen that most of us can see ourselves in.

Art

Francisco Francavilla does a great job pulling double duty on this issue. In sticking with the Twilight Zone motif, the issue lacks bright, poppy colors that are so common in comics today. Instead, Francisco lets his lines do the talking with creative use of shading, shadows, and varying thickness on the lines to create detail.

Francavilla’s work with the portraits in some of the panels show top notch skills. His ability to emote the characters while using a limited palette of colors is a testament to the quality of work produced. Even with only white, black, and gray, I’m always certain where the light is entering the scene from. Francavilla proves that even SFX words can be well done in black and white, with the sounds of the underwater vessel wooshing through the water standing out.

Final Thoughts

L. Marlow and Francesco Francavilla crafted another successful entry into The Twilight Zone series. My only critique with this issue that kept it from being a 10 was that the pacing felt a little off. I may reread it later and change my mind, but on my initial impression was that the payoff occurred rather quickly after so much buildup and anticipation.

The artwork and writing quality of this issue are absolutely stunning. The nautical setting and the military tension of the narrative make this a great story that stays true to The Twilight Zone while still feeling different than something you would expect from The Twilight Zone.

Overall Grade: 9/10

Until next time, may your pulls be magical, and your multiverse remain stable