‘Nemesis Forever’ #5 Delivers A Tense, Thrilling, Destructive And Outstanding Climax

If there’s anyone who specialises in over-the-top, brutal and destructive grand finales, it’s Mark Millar. And if there’s anyone who loves executing over-the-top, brutal destruction, it’s Nemesis. Do the maths and what you get is Nemesis Forever #5, a jaw-dropping, tense and dramatic climax to a crime saga three series in the making and one that pulls off a twist ending no one will see coming. No-one. I was tense going into this one, knowing that Agent Kitty Tepper had been found out and was in clear and present danger, and that tension was sustained throughout, making this one of the most gripping reads I’ve had in some time. And one with supernatural undertones you may not immediately notice. Well, not before the devilishly good ending to this saga.

Even from the very first two pages, there’s no letting up, as Nemesis, in his civilian guise as a callous billionaire (aren’t they all these days?), delivers the severed head of a competitor’s wife, because he refused to sell out to him. Talk about strong-arm tactics. 

And it only escalates from there, in both scale of speed and destruction. What follows is a race against time in which not everyone comes out unscathed. But thanks to the inclusion of Kitty Tepper, it’s one of the few times you aren’t rooting for the bad guy. She holds all our sympathies and has done so from the very first issue. A woman willing to do whatever it takes to see justice served. That, and in my opinion, his goals are far too lofty — complete mind control of the globe — for any reader to want him to succeed this time. When you could once take some grim satisfaction in his daring but despicable deeds, with a character so relatable as Tepper, you were never going to root for him on this occasion. 

As for the ending? Well, I can’t see how I could comment on that without giving anything away, even if the comic has been out almost a week now. But all the clues are there in the last issue, when his evil mentor, the mystical Ensi Ur-Baba, pronounces that he will become an eternal servant to evil forces and that, if anyone slays him, he will kill them in return at a later date. From that moment onwards, things seem to change in subtle ways that may have you reminiscing about the 1970s class horror film, The Omen. You’ll get the reference when you witness the chilling last page, I promise you.

I will say this, as well about the multi-levelled scripting: not only does it take inspiration from The Omen, this narrative arc is yet another twisted nod to Batman and a very common narrative arc Bruce Wayne also frequently follows. Even now, Millar finds new ways of reflecting the Dark Knight’s tried and tested tropes, but through the filter of the Machiavellian malevolence that is Nemesis.

Add to this the emotive, dramatic, stellar artwork of Matteo Scalera and colourist Giovanna Niro, and what you have is a worthy and well-planned ending that leaves the doors open for the return of Nemesis. If you have the patience.

This whole series, especially the choice of colour schemes utilised throughout, plays out like one of the great action flicks of the Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer ‘80s era, all high-concept, blockbuster action and orange/twilight filters. But in a comic book. On one level, it’s exactly that, a shameless, enjoyable blockbuster, while on another level, it homages Batman, and on yet another level, it channels the energies of The Omen too. It really is a gift that keeps on giving.

A kick-ass comic and a great, creepy ending to this thrilling, chilling saga. And out now from Dark Horse Comics.