Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Esad Ribić
Color Artist: Matthew Wilson
Cover Artist: Esad Ribić
Reviewer: StoryBabbler
The Eternals were killed during the invasion of the dark Final Celestial Host, but now they’ve been resurrected and not all entirely for the better. Their leader Zuras was murdered and the killer is Thanos the Mad Titan. But they don’t know who helped him do it. They’ve run through some of their suspects and in Eternals #5 they get closer and closer to the truth.
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Review:
So, the series finally makes some headway with the murder mystery and just who is responsible for the Great Machine’s malfunctioning state. However, the road to getting there has not always been the best. At first, there was some initial shock with finding out Thanos is back, alive and well somehow. But the series never dove too deep into that and Kieron Gillen does’t write Thanos that well from what’s shown so far.
However, this issue finally gives some more development on the status of Thanos regarding his current state of being and why he’s even getting involved with the Eternals to begin with. The issue also shows a bit more of Thanos‘ scheming side as we see a little bit more of his character beyond the killer brute the past issues have shown. For now, I won’t spoil anything, but readers looking for some clarification on if this is Thanos from the mainstream continuity or not will finally get some answers.
Speaking of answers, readers finally get some regarding who the orchestrator behind everything really is. But Kieron Gillen has them first go chasing down the Forgotten One, a fierce and dangerous Eternal who hates the others with a fiery passion. The plot this time around is more dynamic than the last two issues, letting some of the Eternals get to show off their powers and skills. All while filling readers in on the Forgotten One and the people similarly named the Forgotten.
Things in the series finally converge in this issue as the story makes some real development with the big reveals, but it doesn’t have quite the punch that I think Kieron Gillen intended it to have. The only thing that hasn’t come full circle yet is the whole sub-plot with Ikaris and the young boy, Toby Robson. Now, this is where we get into Spoilers.
Spoilers:
So, the big reveal is that Phastos, the Eternal forger, is behind everything. He’s the one who rescued Thanos from the black hole that nearly killed him in Donny Cates’ run on Guardians of the Galaxy. He’s the one who healed Thanos, gave him entry into the Eternals‘ Great Machine, and sent him after Zuras and the other Eternals. It’s implied by Thanos that Phastos has a means of keeping him in line. The thing is, the series spent little time developing Phastos as a character that I forgot he was even in the book, so beyond the initial shock, the reveal didn’t really impact me.
While the reveal is a big deal to the Eternals, it just feels a little hollow to me at this moment. However, I expect that the next issue will focus on Phastos and flesh him out as a character like the past issues did for the other Eternals.
Final Thoughts:
Eternals #5 finally brings some major development to the Eternals‘ murder mystery and the Great Machine’s malfunction. However, the reveals may not be the most impactful once readers find out who’s responsible. But now it feels like the series is getting back on track and things are heating up for the better. Hopefully the next issue adds more to the story and keeps up the momentum it started in this issue.