Image Comics reviews 6/7/23 – The Ambassadors #6, The Magic Order Vol. 4 #5

Nocterra #15

Emory has a desperate idea in hopes of fighting off Blacktop Bill and his Shade minions now that they’ve invaded Eden. If the plan works, there might be a future for Eden and a way to eradicate the Shade for good. More likely the Sundog Convoy is going to watch another oasis get destroyed as Bill continues his reign of terror.

As remains the case with many issues of Nocterra, Blacktop Bill is too overpowering a character. He’s been depicted as so unstoppable that it’s just a matter of time before he overcomes whatever the Sundog Convoy comes up with this time to stop him. Fifteen issues is a long time for any one villain to be the main antagonist and Bill is frustrating because he never loses and rarely has any vulnerabilities.

With the concept of the Shade being an ever-present threat, it might be time for writer Scott Snyder and artist Tony S. Daniel to incorporate a new Shade-empowered villain. Or even go The Walking Dead route and have some human villains for an arc or two just to fresh things up a bit.

Daniel’s artwork is fantastic especially with the brighter backdrop provided by Eden. There’s some nice action sequences playing out, but Em’s fight to battle Blacktop Bill also contains some nice emotional moments. Colorist Marcelo Maiolo can emphasize colors more in this setting as opposed to the series’ typically darker settings.

No Brakes has a special interlude next month before the arc wraps in August. Hopefully, Snyder has some clever tricks planned to make this arc more than Bill terrorizes the gang again.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10