Broken Frontier

The thing about deadlines is they tend to loom. They also tend to be ever-present. Especially in a world as rapidly changing as the one we currently inhabit, deadlines are a rule of thumb for most people. They determine how, when, and sometimes why we choose to leave for work in the morning, to start one project over the next, to put off hanging the picture you promised your wife would be perfectly placed over the TV last month…

For Det. Ray Crisara, working under a deadline takes on a whole new meaning. In Andy Schmidt and Chee’s 5 Days to Die, Crisara actually lives under a very real, very final deadline. The rest of us only think we know from deadlines.

Convinced his family was the target of a botched hit put on him by an organized crime boss, Crisara launches back into his violent crusade to find the elusive Hoverman before his time runs out. Suffering from potentially fatal head trauma from the hit and run that was supposed to kill his family, Crisara’s desperate quest to track down Hoverman takes on a nearly kaleidoscopic tone as he races after his quarry. Schmidt continues to cast doubt on Crisara’s reliability as a POV character, as the depths of his obsession with Hoverman are revealed and directly tied to his inability to connect emotionally with his family.

Schmidt keeps the audience guessing throughout the issue, introducing clues that seem to support Crisara’s paranoid conspiracy theory. When the transport truck that rear-ended him is found abandoned by police, Crisara’s theory at least seems plausible rather than the mad ravings of an extremely guilt-ridden husband and father.

Once again, atmosphere and pacing are critical this issue and both Schmidt and Chee do a wonderful job balancing action and emotion, so that each major beat in the plot resonates with the core conflict of the series. This really is a clever bit of storytelling – brilliant even. When physical conflict is tied so irrevocably to the protagonist’s major flaw – that is, Crisara’s obsession with Hoverman and his inability to deal with his family – then every encounter he has, be it with his dead wife’s sister or cold blooded thugs, becomes an intense emotional conflict driving the plot ever forward.

Chee’s stylish and atmospheric art provides a unique visual experience that only amplifies the emotional elements of the story. His use of shadow and a Spartan color palette lend the book a distinctive look, while providing a different outlet for the storytellers to express themselves. The coloring really enhances and services the story here, helping to set the tone of a specific scene and define the emotions felt by the characters.

As another day passes driving Crisara to ever more desperate lengths to protect his family, Schmidt and Chee continue to tighten the bolts on an emotional rollercoaster of a crime book. Suspenseful and resonant, thanks to its brilliant use of conflict and stylish art, 5 Days to Die reminds me of a classic Poe story: psychologically twisted, emotionally intense, and always driving towards its conclusion.