Writer: Soo Lee
Art: Soo Lee
Publisher: Dynamite Comics
Price: $3.99
Release date: September 27th, 2023
If you’re interested in this comic, series, related trades, or any of the others mentioned, then simply click on the title/link to snag a copy through Amazon as you read the Disney Villains: Maleficent #5 Review.
THE DISPATCH
Here at last, we come to concluding issue of this series, featuring arguably Disney’s greatest villain. The Mistress of all evil’s power is displayed well in Disney Villains: Maleficent #5, though overall this series has been somewhat of a letdown. There’s no question that it depicts Maleficent as the fierce sorceress that she is in the Sleeping Beauty movie, even showcasing her with new abilities, but the plot isn’t very exciting. There’s no real establishment of who these other characters are who attempt to challenge Maleficent, and there’s no connection to any of the events from the Sleeping Beauty movie. This issue features an unnamed sorceress who attempts to challenge Maleficent, rivaling her abilities, but as with the previous issues, doesn’t really end all that much differently.
ART
The art in Disney Villains: Maleficent #5 remains consistent with what has been seen previously in this series in terms of style. The unnamed redheaded sorceress that challenges Maleficent vaguely resembles Merida from Disney/Pixar’s movie, Brave, though with a different hairstyle. It is also interesting that this character has a staff similar to that of Maleficent, implying that they may have each gotten their power from the same source.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Disney Villains: Maleficent #5 concludes with Maleficent swearing revenge, but ultimately this is a somewhat boring series about a very popular and powerful character. On the one hand, diehard Disney villain fans will appreciate that this comic didn’t attempt to make Maleficent a sympathetic character like in the Angelina Jolie movie, but on the other hand, there was no real depth to this story, or the series in general. It was just essentially Maleficent fighting different people and coming out on top, but it made no effort to explain who these other characters were, any sort of backstory connecting them to Maleficent, or any connections to the events of the Sleeping Beauty movie. It could have been so much better. Lee could’ve at least given this new sorceress character a name. If you like to see sorceresses fighting each other, you’ll probably love this comic, but if you expect depth of story, you’ll have to look elsewhere.