Greg Pak takes his DC Comics character out of his element in City Boy #5, with an encounter with the Swamp Thing!
We reviewed the book on the Stack podcast. But in the interest of highlighting more about the title, here’s a summary of the conversation with our thoughts. And if you prefer the longer audio version, that’s below as well!
Powered by RedCircle
City Boy #5 Review:
Written by Greg Pak with art by Minkyu Jung, City Boy #5 takes the titular character out of the city and into the woods to find answers about his missing mother. And he does get those answers courtesy of Swamp Thing… Answers that may send him on a very dark path.
Kicking things off, host Alex Zalben noted he was “a little disappointed” to discover that the next issue of the series is the last because “this is such a great character such an interesting power to connect with the cities of the DC Universe.” He also noted loving the art by Jung, which he found, “really emotional, and just classic superhero art at the same time. And of course, Greg Pak knows how to channel these characters beautifully.”
On this issue in particular, Zalben thought it was a “phenomenal” choice to bring in Swamp Thing, to take City Boy out of his element and show him “a different way.” He also appreciated the sequence that underlined how the main character’s powers to find the secrets hidden in cities, talk to them, and potentially guide or control them are different than The Green, The Red, The Rot, and The Gray; all concepts that pre-exist City Boy in the comics.
Pete LePage loved the team-up, though was “a little upset about how mean the main character was to Swamp Thing… It was just trying to help.” And LePage could feel the tension of the push and pull between City Boy becoming a hero, or perhaps the next big DC villain. “He is dangerously close,” LePage said. “We’re not sure what side he’s going to fall on, which I think Greg Pak is doing a good job of playing with here.”
Finishing up, LePage added, “Overall, great story. More, please.”
City Boy #5 Official Synopsis:
Follow City Boy as he discovers a mysterious power that allows him to control ants. But such power disturbs the natural order of the Green…and when none other than Swamp Thing appears, the two quickly clash with their contrasting powers. As they face off, a startling revelation is made…and Cameron gets a better understanding of where his City Boy powers originate from. Don’t miss out on this action-packed tale of elemental forces!
