Royals #5 – Father Park, Eastertide, and the Bad Bunny

The Wahng brothers are telepathic twins. They’re living the posh life in Royals, using their telepathy to win poker tournaments. One day, they manage to win a tournament against Daeshim Kang, the leader of the Bloody Cocks, Seoul’s most ruthless crime syndicate. Forced to pull off a heist for Kang, they discover the heist is actually a dream planted in their head by Minah, a friend of Paul. Like Paul and Castor, Minah is a superpowered twin. She’s secretly working with Father Park, a priest who believes his mission from God is to destroy superpowered twins. As Castor finds out more about Minah and her motivations, a terrifying chase begins.

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Creative Team

Writer: Derek Kirk Kim
Artist: Jacob Perez
Cover Artist: Jacob Perez

Writing

Derek Kirk Kim does it again. Every single issue of this series has been packed with both revelations and new questions, and Royals #5 is no different. Just when I think I’ve learned all there is to know about Father Park, Kim reveals even more that shocks me. The story continues to take turns, keeping you on the edge of your seat like a thriller at the local movie theater. The dynamic between not only the Wahng brothers but Castor and Minah continues to develop each issue in a satisfying way.

There was a lot of backstory in this issue. Despite that being the case, Kim ensured that it never felt like it was bogging you down or keeping you from enjoying the story. Kim structured the revelations and lore in a way that they made natural sense as part of the story. Royals #5 shows that this series really has become a case of “how deep does the rabbit hole go”. Every issue takes my breath away both narratively and visually.

Art

Jacob Perez continues to show out in each issue of Royals. The action packed into this issue really gave Perez a chance to shine when it came to SFX in a way that we haven’t seen in other issues. Through his careful use of colors and shading, Perez makes each character feel both unique and emotive.

I really appreciated the dynamic panel sizing that Perez employed in this issue. Anytime I see a series where there’s variety in the sizing or shapes of panels, it lets me know that a level of trust exists between the writer and artists where the story is truly a collaborative effort. I enjoyed the variety of panel shading Perez utilized in this issue as well. The use of the dull green to help you realize the panel is playing out as if you are looking at a security camera screen was brilliant.

Final Thoughts

Royals continues to be one of my favorite series out from any publisher right now. I genuinely look forward to it coming up for review each issue. Kim and Perez are doing something unique with this series. Telepathy while not a new concept in comics has never quite been used like this. It’s clear that a high level of trust exists between Kim and Perez where they are jointly creating this story and playing off each other’s ideas.

Overall Grade: 10 / 10

What did you think of Royals #5? Let me know in the comments