REVIEW: The Wrong Earth #5 (Spoiler-free)

decarter20
Jan 16, 2019
2 min read

The Wrong Earth #5 In short - I LOVE THIS BOOK! So much so that I’m not going to spoil anything about the book that hasn’t been part of the solicitations or promotional materials.

The first title released from AHOY Comics, this six-issue series tells the tale of Earth-Alpha's Dragonflyman and his narcissistic ne’er-do-well arch-nemesis Number One switching realities with their more violent counterparts from Earth-Omega. (Imagine Adam West’s Batman and Cesar Romero’s Joker trading worlds with Christian Bale’s and Heath Ledger’s, respectively.)

In the hands of an average writer/artist team this would be yet another parallel universe tale like the hundreds, possibly thousands, before it, focusing on comparing and contrasting the two worlds and playing the swap for the laughs with no real consequences. While there are plenty of funny moments (I’ve laughed out loud at least twice, probably more, when reading each issue), there are serious repercussions of the switch that will remain even if every body is returned to their home worlds. I’m hoping one or both of the heroes survive the final issue of “season” one (per the internet a sequel is already in the works), and I will buy anything including either character or this creative team. Simply put, Tom Peyer writing and Jamal Igle’s art combine to form one of the best stories I’ve read in forty years of reading comics. Add in better quality paper than the big two companies use, a complete 1-2 page prose story and other bonuses with each issue, and this becomes a tremendous value that I can't recommend highly enough!

And yes, Bill Hader would make an excellent Dragonflyman/Dragonfly! https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/dream-casting-the-wrong-earth

Other fun stuff: "The Wrong Earth #3 sold more than #2. The Wrong Earth #4 sold more than #3. And now we heard that The Wrong Earth #5 sold more than #4… indeed it sold more that #1." https://www.bleedingcool.com/2018/12/03/wrong-earth-5-ahoy-comics-more-orders-1/ A couple of guys named Mark agree with me: “The Wrong Earth is far more than a one-note gag--Tom and Jamal have made a surprisingly deep exploration and commentary on where this medium has been, how it got to where it is, and where it can go.” ― Mark Waid