Dark Horse Comics – 1/7/26 – Nemesis Forever 5 review
With Nemesis Forever 5, writer Mark Millar and artist Matteo Scalera attempt the most daring Nemesis arc cliffhanger yet.
Nemesis is finalizing his masterstroke plan. All he has to do is show the last remaining tech billionaire holdout that he means business. Nemesis isn’t in it for the money. He wants access to the technology that will allow him to control people’s brains. It won’t be nearly as bloody as his usual schemes, but the ability to turn millions into his personal sheep is a solid payoff.
There’s only one thing that can ruin his plan and he learns about that potential problem early on in Nemesis Forever 5.
Special agent Kitty Tepper’s cover as assassin Sofie Stein has been blown after the real Sofie escaped federal custody and managed to get herself killed in an armed robbery attempt gone bad.
This is bad news for Kitty, who not only took out her own eye for the sake of the infiltration, but also for her team now that Nemesis knows he’s got a rat on his hit squad.
Scalera paints a viscerally bloody confrontation in Nemesis Forever 5 as Nemesis takes down Kitty’s team. It’s not pretty for them, but Scalera makes Nemesis’ carnage horrifying in the best way possible.
Colorist Giovanna Niro brings an extra level of brutality with the always striking contrast of blood sprays in the air and the splattering of Nemesis’ outfit. Letterer Clem Robins brings the intensity in the dialogue with dramatic sound effect fonts.
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The constant challenge for Millar in writing Nemesis is making his seemingly unbeatable calculated psychopath earn victories. Too often, they come too easily as no one besides the world’s superheroes can pose any remote challenge to him. Nemesis Forever 5. There is a cameo from some of those aforementioned superheroes, but they’re the only fair matchup that wouldn’t immediately get sliced, diced and otherwise dismembered by Nemesis.
Millar might have spoiled some of the ending of Nemesis Forever 5 with last issue as Matthew made a deal to stay immortal so he can continue waging his carnage war against the world for eternity. There’s a potentially really intriguing loophole with this deal with the devil as his master told him anyone who wronged him would die by his hand.
The catch here is just how specific that curse is and if it’s truly meant to be taken in the most literal sense. If that is actually the case, Millar might have finally concocted Nemesis’ kryptonite, which could make the next arc of Nemesis the most compelling one yet.
As for Nemesis Forever 5? It’s a solid conclusion to the Forever arc even if it feels like this happy ending will be anything but eventually. The real question is when Millar will revisit one of his most popular characters and what the immediate fallout will be whenever that next chapter arrives.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Photo Credit: Dark Horse Comics
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