Advance Review: ‘’The Twilight Zone’ #5 Has Something To Say (If You Listen)

Struggling to be heard is one of the most frustrating tasks that we can encounter in life.  That’s equally true whether it is a young child talking to her parents or a junior team member trying to make a point in a business meeting.

That’s what makes “Silent Warning” — the one-shot story in The Twilight Zone #5 — so relatable.

The story, written by L. Marlow Francavilla and Francesco Francavilla, involves a meteor that falls into the ocean near Virginia. The meteor begins making sounds after splashdown, something that shouldn’t be possible. So the government calls upon renowned sound wave scientist Dr. Emily Sorensen to investigate along with a team of military experts. But the armed forces have little time for Sorensen and quickly relegates her to submarine duty while the rest explore the extraterrestrial mystery.

The Francavillas put Sorensen in an impossible situation. She knows there is danger and tries to warn the team throughout their journey. But, ironically, no one will listen to the expert on sound. It’s a nice touch full of Twilight Zone-esque irony. But it’s not quite enough to make the story compelling. (Nothing is made of the fact that rest of the team is composed of men, which is probably a good thing.)

As is often the case with the original television series, the ending is somewhat opened ended. That’s not usually a bad thing, but here it feels more like the writers ran out of pages and had to stop than a deliberate choice.

Francesco Francavilla also draws the black and white issue, with his usual skill. A frequent variant cover artist for the series, it’s nice to see his work inside the book. He gives an appropriate 1960s’ feel to the story, including some interesting-looking monsters.

But, of course, since this is The Twilight Zone, the real monsters are usually the humans.

The Twilight Zone #5 will be available in comic book stories and on digital platforms tomorrow from IDW.