BETTIE PAGE: THE ALIEN AGENDA #5, from Dynamite Comics on July 13th, 2022, concludes the arc with a race to get to the location of the aliens’ cache before the military can destroy it. Bettie soon learns the precious cache could be the Earth’s salvation.
The Details
- Written by: Ani-Mia
- Art by: Celor
- Colors by: Farah Nurmaliza
- Letters by: Carlos M. Mangual
- Cover art by: Joseph Michael Linsner (cover A)
- Cover price: $3.99
- Release date: July 13, 2022
Was It Good?
BETTIE PAGE: THE ALIEN AGENDA #5 concludes the arc with a race to the finish line as Young-Ja figures out the artifact obtained in the last issue contains a secret code with coordinates. What follows is a lot of planning before getting to the last stop, and a lot of explaining after getting to the last stop. In fairness, this issue wraps up the arc with clarity, imagination, and hope for the future, but you’re going to do a lot of reading to get there.
The highlight of this finale is the hopeful message Ani-Mia integrates into the story for a clever twist ending. In looking for a cache of (presumed) weapons, Bettie finds something much more valuable that will ensure Earth’s future survival. Honestly, you won’t see the twist coming, but when it comes, you get an answer to the age-old question of “are we alone in the universe?” and the opportunity to think about the universe in a bigger way.
Celor’s art is better-than-average in this issue. As we noted in prior reviews, this series is the best work we’ve seen from Celor, and we hope to see continued improvement in the future. The lines are clean, the panels look finished, and Celor carries a heavy load trying to keep the panels interesting in a dialog-heavy issue.
The down point of this issue is the lack of visual storytelling. Comics are a visual medium, so the art needs to be an equal partner in conveying the story. Here, the characters are largely placed in a panel, and the dialog does almost all of the work. The ideas are present, but they’re not presented in a visually engaging way.
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What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Before diving in, learn how Bettie and her friends found the last artifact in our BETTIE PAGE: THE ALIEN AGENDA #4 review.
We begin with Bettie, Young-Ja, and Sofia on a plane headed back to the United States. They review the scroll obtained on their last stop, and Young-Ja figures out the code in the scroll border translates to coordinates near the Pentagon. When they arrive in the U.S., Bettie arranges a private chat with Colonel Westbrook to let her know she believes the alien cache isn’t dangerous.
The next evening, Bettie and her friends head to the coordinates but are intercepted by the military to destroy the cache to ensure it doesn’t pose a threat. Before the standoff spins out of control, Bettie and her friends are suddenly teleported away.
Later, Bettie wakes up in a comfortable room. We conclude the issue with new friends, an important mission, and a treasure worth more than gold.
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Final Thoughts
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BETTIE PAGE: THE ALIEN AGENDA #5 is a pleasant and hopeful end to Bettie’s alien-chasing adventure. The art is the strongest we’ve seen from Celor, and Ani-Mia incorporates a clever twist into the reveal. However, the issue is almost all talking and very little visual storytelling, so the pacing and energy are lacking.
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