Comics Bulletin logo
Search
  • Columns
    Random
    • The Full Run: Final Crisis #6

      Holger Mueller
      July 2, 2020
      DC Comics, The Full Run
    Recent
    • Revisiting the Witchblade/Fathom/Tomb Raider Crossover

      Daniel Gehen
      February 8, 2021
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 1

      Daniel Gehen
      October 30, 2020
    • What Looks Good
    • Comics Bulletin Soapbox
    • The Full Run
    • Leading Question
    • Top 10
    • The Long-Form
    • Jumping On
    • Comics in Color
    • Slouches Towards Comics
  • Big Two
    Random
    • Interview: G. Willow Wilson on Ms. Marvel and the Muslim-American Experience

      Holger Mueller
      November 14, 2016
      Big Two, Interviews, Marvel Comics
    Recent
    • Collecting Profile: 6 Most Expensive Comic Books April 2021 Update

      nguyen ly
      April 17, 2021
    • 3.0

      Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

      Daniel Gehen
      February 22, 2021
    • 4.5

      DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      January 22, 2021
    • DC Comics
    • Big Two Reviews
    • Marvel Comics
  • Indie
    Random
    • First Look at THE RED MOTHER #5

      Holger Mueller
      May 29, 2020
      Boom! Studios, News, Press Release
    Recent
    • 4.0

      Review: Beast Wars #2 another chance to change the past

      Stephen Cook
      March 3, 2021
    • 4.5

      Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Reviews
    • Archie Comics
    • Boom! Studios
    • Dark Horse
    • IDW
    • Image
    • Oni Press
    • Valiant
  • Reviews
    Random
    • 4.9

      Review: Faithless #1 Draws Audience In With Beautiful Art and Grounded Horror

      Holger Mueller
      April 10, 2019
      Boom! Studios, Reviews
    Recent
    • Singles Going Steady – Vowels, Who Needs Them?

      Daniel Gehen
      March 8, 2021
    • 3.0

      Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

      Daniel Gehen
      February 22, 2021
    • 4.5

      Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Singles Going Steady
    • Slugfest
    • Manga
      • Reviews
    • Small Press
      • Reviews
      • ICYMI
      • Tiny Pages Made of Ashes
  • Interviews
    Random
    • Michael L. Fleisher: Never in the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time

      Holger Mueller
      February 26, 2008
      Interviews
    Recent
    • Interview: Jon Davis-Hunt Talks SHADOWMAN

      Daniel Gehen
      June 8, 2020
    • Interview: Becky Cloonan talks DARK AGNES and Her Personal Influences

      Mike Nickells
      March 4, 2020
    • Simon Roy

      Interview: Simon Roy on His Inspirations and Collaborations on PROTECTOR

      Mike Nickells
      January 29, 2020
    • Audio Interview
    • Video Interview
  • Classic Comics
    Random
    • Classic Interview: Paul Levitz - "The Big Kahuna, Himself"

      Holger Mueller
      November 6, 2015
      Classic Interviews
    Recent
    • VISITOR is the Quintessential “SPIRIT” Story

      Daniel Gehen
      March 26, 2021
    • Countdown to the King: Marvel’s Godzilla

      Daniel Gehen
      May 29, 2019
    • Honoring A Legend: Fantagraphics To Resurrect Tomi Ungerer Classics

      Daniel Gehen
      February 15, 2019
    • Classic Comics Cavalcade
    • Classic Interviews
  • News
    Random
    • The Never-ending Battle for Truth, Justice and Superman’s Copyright

      Holger Mueller
      October 29, 2012
      News
    Recent
    • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Image Comics and TMP Announces SPAWN’S UNIVERSE

      Daniel Gehen
      February 18, 2021
    • SAVAGE DRAGON IS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 17, 2021
    • Press Release
    • Kickstarter Spotlight
  • Books
    Random
    • Review: 'Prisoner 155' is a Remarkable Portrait of a Political Revolutionary

      Holger Mueller
      May 7, 2018
      Books
    Recent
    • Collecting Profile: Disney Frozen

      CB Staff
      November 22, 2019
    • Collecting Profile: NFL Superpro

      CB Staff
      August 31, 2019
    • “THE BEST OF WITZEND” is a Wonderful Celebration of Artistic Freedom

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2018
    • Review: ‘Machete Squad’ is a Disappointing Afghan Memoir

      Jason Sacks
      July 31, 2018
    • Review: ‘Out of Nothing’ is the Antidote to Our Sick Times

      Jason Sacks
      July 23, 2018
    • Review: ‘Bizarre Romance’ Shows Rough Edges in the Early Days of a New Marriage

      Jason Sacks
      July 10, 2018
What's New
  • Collecting Profile: 6 Most Expensive Comic Books April 2021 Update
  • Collecting Profile: Guardians of the Galaxy
  • Collecting Profile: 1990 Marvel Universe Trading Cards
  • Collecting Profile: Red Sonja
  • Collecting Profile: Dr. Doom
  • VISITOR is the Quintessential “SPIRIT” Story
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Contact Us
  • Write for us!
  • Visit Video Game Break!
Home
Indie
Image

Review: Nameless #5

Holger Mueller
October 15, 2015
Image, Indie, Reviews

Nameless #5

Writer: Grant Morrison

Artist: Chris Burnham

Colorist: Nathan Fairbairn

September 23, 2015

Image Comics $2.99

Nameless05_Digital-1

The penultimate issue of Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham’s horror comic Nameless remains just as trippy and frightening as the rest of the series up until now. To catch you up in case you haven’t read any of the series yet, a giant asteroid is headed towards Earth, except it isn’t any ordinary asteroid. This asteroid contains either a door to Xibalba, the Mayan hell, or something from Xibalba is imprisoned within the asteroid. The nameless protagonist gets sent up into space with a team of scientists to try and stop the asteroid because he’s able to do that. Along the way, whatever is in the asteroid reaches out to them, and they have trippy, horrific encounters, with members of the crew dying along the way. Issue #4 ended with the protagonist back on Earth, with the asteroid slamming into what appears to be New York City, with people in the city performing unspeakable acts of violence on one another.

 

Issue 5 is a little difficult to make heads or tales of. The scenes in the story jump back and forth. As the issue opens, the protagonist is in a doctor’s office, and the establishing panel outside of the building shows a calm, peaceful world, so it looks as though this issue takes place before the series began. Or, the protagonist has returned to Earth after completing his mission, but with how the previous issue ended, this is rather unlikely. Then the story jumps back to a séance in which the protagonist was involved, and everyone who went with him to the asteroid is there. The implication here is that he never went into space, and everything happened on Earth. But then, there are shots of the protagonist on the asteroid, being guided down a deep hole by other members of the team, only they are possessed by whatever the evil spirit is that’s encased within the asteroid. So like I said, it’s a bit confusing.

Nameless05_Preview_Page

Of course, this is all on purpose, at least I hope it is. It’s basically whatever is in the asteroid manipulating the mind of the nameless protagonist. As someone puts it at the end of the issue, “It’s having sex with [his] thoughts.” See apparently, the protagonist knows how the keep whatever is in the asteroid, which in this issue is hinted to be God, inside the asteroid. At the same time, he is also capable of letting it out, which it is trying to get him to do. It’s really quite clever on Morrison’s part and shows just how talented he really is. As I read it, or as anyone reads it, I essentially go through whatever the protagonist is going through, and I end up never really knowing what is what. Essentially, Morrison has written a story the recreates for the reader, to some extent, the disorienting nature of what the protagonist is experiencing. Artistically, it’s very well done, as this is a rather difficult thing to do. However, as a piece of entertainment, since I don’t know what is going on, it leaves me a bit wanting as I don’t know what I just read. But like I said, that’s the point of what Morrison is doing. And also, there’s one issue left to the series, so I’m sure everything will get tied up in the end. Plus, like some of Morrison’s earlier series, The Invisibles, Flex Mentallo, and The Filth, Nameless probably requires two or more readings to really get it.

Nameless05_Preview_Page2

That said, the issue is another strong outing for artist Chris Burnham. I’ll admit, the first time I saw Chris Burnham’s work on Batman Incorporated, I thought of him as a Frank Quitely imitator. Since then, I’ve realized just how strong and original of an artist he is. One thing I like about what he does with this issue is how he renders shadow in some parts. For instance, during some of the scenes with the séance, the item around which the group has gathered, which is a key to Xibalba, glows and emits strong light. Rather than have black, humanoid shapes behind the people, Burnham uses speed lines to denote the light and shadow. It gives the impression that the item is not just emitting light, but some kind of energy as well. The second thing that I really enjoyed in this issue, in terms of artwork, appears on page 15. The protagonist is shown to be experiencing a hailstorm of memories all at once. Burnham gives each piece of each memory its own little panel, somewhere between 30 and 40 of them, all overlapping one another. Then on top of those, Burnham has superimposed a picture of the protagonist’s face, mouth open, eyes wide open, no color in them. It really captures the psychological anguish experienced by the character at this point. And other thing that Burnham does well, and it’s probably my favorite thing about the issue, is a piece of Escher-esque artistry. It takes actually seeing it to get it, but on page nine, an alien race is shown attempting to open a doorway to a “shadow universe,” which we know as Xibalba. The item around which the aliens have gathered is two squares joined together by one or two posts, I think. Like I said, it takes seeing it to understand just what it looks like. It’s one of those things I’d like to know whose idea it was, Morrison’s or Burnham’s.

20150924_180456

And Nathan Fairbairn’s colors should not be overlooked either. While most of the issue has fairly standard, yet solid coloring, there are a few parts which really jump off the page. For instance, on page nine, the panel with the aforementioned key, Fairbairn uses colors I’ve only ever seen on black light posters to express just how alien of a civilization it is that is shown in this panel. And on page 14, some kind of demon is shown to be taking possession of the nameless protagonist. The pinks and neon blues on this page are just really beautiful and really drive home the idea of how freaky an experience this is. It’s one of those pages at which I just found myself staring.

timthumb.php

Overall, it’s another solid issue from Morrison and company. Despite my confusion with it, I find myself wanting to see what happens in the final issue, rather than waiting for it to come out so that I can get it over with. I definitely hope to see more from this team!

Chris BurnhamGrant MorrisonHorrorImage Comics

Share On:
Tweet
Review: Starve #5
Exclusive Marvel Preview: Age of Apocalypse #5

About The Author

Holger Mueller

Related Posts

  • NEW SCI-FI MINISERIES MADE IN KOREA TO EXPLORE A.I. FUTURE WHEN IT HITS SHELVES IN MAY

    Daniel Gehen
    February 5, 2021
  • The Walking Dead Deluxe Gets 6 Connecting Covers From Charlie Adlard

    Ashley Hurst
    September 9, 2020

Support Us!

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

Friends of the Site

  • SOLRAD
  • Your Chicken Enemy
  • Psycho Drive-In
  • Women Write About Comics
  • The Beat
  • Loser City
RSSTwitterFacebookgoogleplusinstagramtumblr

Comics Bulletin is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, audible.com, and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, Comics Bulletin earns from qualifying purchases.

All content on this site (c) 2018 The Respective Copyright Holders