Advance Review: ‘Corpse Knight’ #5 Reveals The Series’ Real Bad Guy
by Tom Smithyman
With friends like these, young Foy certainly doesn’t need any more enemies.
For the last four issues of Corpse Knight, the girl and her zombified father have been searching for Joan of Arc to turn dad human again. At the end of the last chapter, though, a horrified Joan killed Foy’s dad (or re-killed him), leaving the youngster in the hands of Gilles de Rais.
It turns out that de Rais is even worse than the future saint. According to writer Michael Chaves, de Rais murdered hundreds of children in real life, making him one of history’s first serial killers. He spends most of this issue informing Foy of his plot to martyr Joan and replace her with Foy and an army of undead.
Chaves’ twist is a good one, but turning de Rais into the bad guy is problematic. We’ve spent almost no time with him until now. There’s no real betrayal here, just another in a series of people Foy cannot trust. Honestly, I couldn’t even remember de Rais’ name or who he was in the story. It wasn’t until I read Chaves’ explanation to readers at the end of the issue until I knew who the dude wasn’t. That doesn’t make him the most compelling baddie.
Artist Matthew Roberts delivers mixed results here as well. Too many of his illustrations are simplistic, likely meant to demonstrate Foy’s innocence. It turns out, though, that she’s not all that innocent. And that’s where Roberts starts to shine. By showing the darker side of the powers Foy didn’t realize she had, Roberts is able to deliver at a much higher level.
This issue revealed enough to keep things moving toward next chapter’s conclusion. Whether it’s an ending that Foy can live with is a different matter though.
Corpse Knight #5 — written by Michael Chaves, illustrated by Matthew Roberts, colored by Rico Renzi, and lettered by Pat Brosseau — will be available in comic book stores and on digital platforms on Wednesday from Image Comics.
Overview
While this issue gives us some needed answers about the titular knight’s origins as well as the real antagonist, the revelations aren’t entirely satisfactory. Add to that some uneven visuals, and you have a limited series that is limping into its finale like a zombie.