Black Adam is one of the most morally ambiguous characters in the DC roster whose convoluted sense of justice makes him a ruthless ruler of a politically volatile Kahndaq. The current ongoing Black Adam series from Christopher Priest places Teth-Adam and his alter-ego in a unique position as he finds himself pressed between choosing his mortality or believing in the existence of Akkadian legends. Whatever his choice, somehow, everything boils down to the presence of Nth metal and the Dark Multiverse. With the new additions to the pantheon of Gods being seemingly dangerous individuals created from a cocktail of fables and interstellar parasites, Black Adam #5 steps into a field of landmines. The issue features artwork from Rafa Sandoval, Jordi Tarragona, José Luís, and Jonas Trinidade, colors by Matt Herms, with letters from Willie Schubert.
Black Adam #5 finds war at the doorsteps of Sargon the Sorcerer. The Akkadian God of War, Nergal, has a specific purpose for the social call, for he wants to reclaim the name of his King and his artifact, both of which are with Sargent. Elsewhere, a rogue pilot makes Black Adam the target of his rage as he plans to crash his fighter jet into the millennia-old monarch. Adam implores the pilot to change course, but his pleas fall on deaf ears. Angry at the outcome, he decides to give Batman a visit, who is funding the democratic movement in his country. Meanwhile, the latest Champion of Black Adam, Malik White, is having trouble juggling his work life with his superhero duties.
The first act blends old and new lore to throw readers into a tense situation. How effective it is as a hook is up to individual readers, but it does effectively introduce a new group of foes. Malik’s troubles are a completely different subset of the plot, this time letting him deal with his day job as a resident doctor who finds himself unable to detach himself from the demons and ailments of his predecessor. The icing on the cake is the narrative focusing on Black Adam as Priest lets both the alter-egos dabble in diplomacy before they go to war, building up a tantalizing amount of suspense.
Black Adam #5 is an exhibition of different forms of pencil and inkwork coming together to turn Priest’s occasionally convoluted script into something more tangible. To that end, Rafa Sandoval lays the groundwork for attention-grabbing panels and grounded illustrations that swallow pages whole. The billowing smoke and metal splinters remain as residue as Sandoval passes the baton over to Jordi Tarragona, whose art is much softer around the edges and focuses more on close-up shots of each character. Colorist Matt Herms ties the different styles together with bright shades. In a book where crackling lightning strikes are ever-present, Herms finds the perfect color to complement each situation.
Black Adam #5 shows the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of DC’s changing theological landscape as a new pantheon writes its name in the books. Only Priest can make such a ridiculous origin story feel menacing and mysterious while showing the Akkadians’ propensity for violence as proof of their Godhood. But the immediate spotlight should be on Black Adam, who has started to rub some people in the DC universe the wrong way, prepping the stage for a showdown. With DCEU’s Black Adam making landfall this week, the issue ends with an exciting cameo, much like its silver screen counterpart.
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