Writer: Tom Peyer
Artist: Jamal Igle
Publisher: Ahoy Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: July 7, 2021
Reviewer: Rollo Tomassi
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RECAP
Throughout the course of this and the previous mini-series, the focus has been on the heroes Dragonfly and Dragonflyman from different parallel earths. Well now, we’re introduced to a third version. The Man-Dragonfly of Earth Zeta! As the Dragon men of Earth Alpha and Omega meet their new counterparts, the sidekicks from each respective Earth are arriving on Earth Zeta to help their partners.
TOMASSI’S TAKES
The overall concept and story of The Wrong Earth may sound like a silly Silver Age concept. Yet, Peyer does a nice job of balancing all the different parts of the story effectively. None of the characters come across as silly. While the three Dragons may be technically the same person, Peyer gives each one their own distinctive personality. The newly introduced Man-Dragonfly of Earth Zeta comes across as a Blue Beetle, tech-savvy character although he‘s depicted as much older than his other counterparts. Additional, by the end of the issue, we learn he may have more sinister intentions for the Dragon-men.
All the characters have great chemistry together. The new Stinger of Earth Omega leans a tad towards a Punisher type. Yet, when he meets the Lady Dragonfly of Earth Alpha (a “simpler” Earth), they work great together despite not knowing or even liking each other. Similarly, the Dragonmen continue to argue over the events of this and the last mini-series, even though they may work better together than they realize. There is an interesting exchange between them and the Stinger of Earth Zeta regarding how the Earth Omega Dragonfly hid the truth about who he was to the Stinger of Earth Alpha. Trust me, it’s not nearly as confusing as I’m making it sound to be here.
ART
Igle continues his great artwork throughout The Wrong Earth: Night and Day #5. He finds ways to give distinct physical features to each Dragonman. Besides different costumes, he uses facial expressions and body language to give each character. It would be nice to get Igle on a more mainstream superhero comic. However, I’ll take what I can here. I want to give a quick shout-out to colorist Andy Troy. His color palette somehow makes the story bright and shiny like an old-school fun Silver Age story. Yet, at the same time, he can depict the darker side of the story. It’s fitting that for a book whose premise is about different Earths, the colorist can be this dynamic.
Final Thoughts
The Wrong Earth: Night & Day # 5 is the penultimate issue of a great miniseries. It introduced who may be the overall villain right from the start of the first Wrong Earth mini-series. Furthermore, the art continues to shine and the characters are all coming together. There hasn’t been word yet if there is a planned follow-up to this series. However, I sincerely hope there is. These characters and their respective worlds deserve more exploring.