Advance Review: Crackerjack Has Descended Into Darkness In `Torrent’ #5
by Tom Smithyman
Overview
This story arc-concluding chapter ends somewhat predictably, though the journey itself has largely been a good one. Strong illustrations and colors give readers plenty to study while the script will have you thinking about the nature of revenge and what it does to us.
Overall
8/10In only five issues of Torrent, Michelle Metcalf has been through a lot. Her secret identity has been revealed to her arch enemy Skelton, who used the information to kill Michelle’s husband and kidnap her son. After rescuing the boy, Michelle was beaten to a pulp by the baddie. That sent her on a killing spree through the city, attracting the attention of an Avengers-like group. Oh, and she’s lost her powers.
All in all, it’s been a pretty sucky couple of months for her.
Her transformation from the happy-go-lucky hero to hellbent-on-revenge killer is now complete. And in this final issue of the initial story arc, she decides to get her final vengeance on Skelton – body count be damned. Imagine Spider-Man turning into the Punisher. In fact, artist Justin Greenwood even drops some visual references to Frank Castle in the issue.
Writer Marc Guggenheim has taken Michelle – and therefore his audience – on quite the journey. In the process, he has examined the nature of revenge versus justice, though it’s not clear yet whether he’s given readers a satisfying answer. That, perhaps, will come in the story’s future chapters. For this installment, though, the story plays out largely as expected.
Greenwood has plenty to work with here, thanks to Guggenheim’s script. With a body count approaching that of a small war, Greenwood tells a strong visual story. He’s more than ably aided by colorist Rico Renzi, who wisely illuminates the ever-present gunfire with yellows and oranges, only to employ darker blues and purples in the few times the weapons are cooling down.
This arc ends somewhat definitively, with a text box on the last page proclaiming “The beginning.” Earlier in the story, Michelle takes a little time to consider what she has become, but it is not enough to change her mind. To bring this series to its full potential, the creative team needs to continue to explore Michelle’s journey and fully consider the questions around revenge and whether her journey into darkness was ultimately worth it.
Torrent #5 will be available for purchase on July 5, 2023.
