Sweetie Candy Vigilante #5 Review

Writer: Suzanne Cafiero
Art: Jeff Zornow
Colors: Antonio Fabela
Letters: DC Hopkins
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Price: $3.99
Release Date: April 5th, 2023

Each issue of Sweetie Candy Vigilante is like a box of chocolates. And no Forrest, I don’t care what your mama said, it’s not because you never know what you’re going to get. It’s because you definitely know what you’re getting and it’s all delicious (not a nasty chocolate covered cherry or raisin in the bunch). In Sweetie Candy Vigilante #5, there’s enough packed into this issue that it could have easily been spread out over two or three issues. Trixie gets her weapon! Sweetie puts her fangs to use! A new detective duo enters the scene! Crime lord Bart Volgare rages! All this, plus Peter Cottontail with his hooptied up ice cream truck!

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 Sweetie Candy Vigilante #5 Review.

The Story

Sweetie Candy Vigilante #5 starts off with the grisly crime scene from last issue, and we get a great introduction to Detectives Reyes and Jacks as they try to make sense of the carnage that Hansel & Gretel (Sweetie’s researchers/hit squad) created. The series has exceled at creating well-rounded characters and Reyes and Jacks are no exception. Within a small number of pages, you completely know their personalities and eccentricities. I look forward to seeing more of them in the issues to come. The bulk of the issue focuses on Sweetie finalizing Trixie’s induction into her network. We pretty much get confirmation here that Sweetie’s a vampire and I’m all for it. It adds another layer of mystique to Sweetie and makes her world seem a bit richer. All the characters in Sweetie’s network are interesting. Candy Wolf, her right-hand man, is a werewolf who looks goth and perpetually wears a candy necklace.

Trixie is equally fun and interesting, and I loved the weapon she’s assigned to use “in the field”. She’s always exuberant and full of joy, despite the rough life she’s had, and she seems to be blooming into her real self under Sweetie’s guidance. This universe is expanded even more as Peter Cottontail (AKA The Easter Bunny) and his assistant Jack Rabbit, who are two additional members of Sweetie’s network, are mentioned. The series incorporates figures from mythology and folklore and ties them in with Sweetie so seamlessly that it’s like Sweetie has been around as long as Santa Claus or Medusa. Crime lord Bart Volgare, as well as another shadowy group mentioned this issue, seem to be great nemeses for Sweetie and I look forward to seeing Sweetie’s vast network coming into direct conflict with Bart Volgare’s equally powerful criminal dynasty in future issues.

The Art

Jeff Zornow’s art and Antonio Fabela’s colors on Sweetie Candy Vigilante #5 are dazzling, and though the book deals with some dark violent subjects, the book always feels like you’ve been plopped into Candyland. All the characters have unique designs, from Sweetie’s curvaceous body, subtle fangs and belt loaded with weapons to Trixie’s purplish bright purplish hair and swirling candy cane colored tights. Even in the scenes where there is no action, there’s a feel that the characters are moving around a room or dancing in place. The art makes every scene dynamic.

Final Thoughts

Sweetie Candy Vigilante #5 is another fantastic issue of my favorite Dynamite Entertainment series. The art is vibrant, Sweetie and her world are fascinating and always makes you want to see more, and the new characters introduced this issue will make the series even more rich in issues to come. Recommended.