DIE!NAMITE: BLOOD RED #5 – New Comic Review

DIE!namite: Blood Red #5, by Dynamite Comics on 2/11/26, dives into Fury betraying the crew over a virus upgrade, leaving readers wondering if team-ups are just zombie bait.

Credits:

• Writer: Fred Van Lente
• Artist: Jordi Perez
• Colorist: Ellie Wright
• Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry
• Cover Artist: E.J. Su (cover A)
• Publisher: Dynamite Comics
• Release Date: February 11, 2026
• Comic Rating: Teen
• Cover Price: $4.99
• Page Count: 22
• Format: Single Issue

Covers:

Analysis of DIE!NAMITE: BLOOD RED #5:

First Impressions:

This crossover issue left me annoyed with its endless betrayals and cliffhangers that feel like filler. The core zombie-virus gimmick drags on without real payoff. It entertains mildly if you like chaos, but mostly frustrates with unresolved threads.

Recap:

In DIE!namite: Blood Red #4, the crew confronted Taak in his fortress where he bred headless Rykors he controlled psychically. Vampirella got captured after mental degradation from Dejah’s blood, while Purgatori tasked Fury secretly to kill her if needed. Taak’s backstory revealed Dejah’s family commissioned a male-only plague that escaped, ravaging Mars; he fled to Earth, now weaponizing a female-affecting version too. Combat raged as Rykors attacked, Taak showcased control, and the issue cliffed on Fury’s potential enslavement or death with Vampirella’s fate hanging.

Plot Analysis (SPOILERS):

Vampirella calls out to Dejah telepathically as Dejah confronts Taak. Taak boasts of perfecting a woman-affecting virus for leverage back to Barsoom, but Dejah zaps him, denying any cure exists. She explains Taak targeted all genders now; the team decides to destroy the lab. Sonja loves smashing stuff.​

The Rykors collapse post-Taak, inert without his brain waves, all bitten but unturned thanks to immunity serum. Fury blows up the serum as Dejah tries grabbing it. Fury then orders Sonja to jump off the dam at gunpoint to return to Sunset City. She reveals Purgatori’s edge via deadmen control trumps any cure.​

Dejah mind-controls Rykors clumsily to attack Fury, but gets shot and mortally wounded. The team panics over her blue blood and alien guts. Sonja grabs fire extinguishers for a cryo-save; Dejah requests a mustache on a Rykor body resembling her husband. Meanwhile, Tristan chats with Mark about his wife in Sunset City.​

Purgatori seduces Tristan, sensing guilt, but he coughs and infects her via proximity. Chaos erupts in Sunset City as Purgatori turns and bites hero Deadhead. Vampirella’s team arrives; Dejah’s head guides Tristan to her saucer for repairs. They debate fleeing to Drakulon versus saving Earth as Dejah’s saucer explodes in a cliffhanger from a new (and old) enemy.

Writing

Pacing jumps erratically between telepathic fights, betrayals, and side scenes in Sunset City. Dialogue mixes snappy banter like Fury’s “total a-hole” callout with clunky translations and exposition dumps. Structure piles on twists without resolving prior ones, feeling stretched.

Art

Panels clearly convey action like zaps and explosions amid Rykor fights. Composition frames betrayals dynamically, such as Fury’s gun standoff. Colors amp up bloody chaos and blue Martian blood for mood, though zombie hordes blend muddily at times.

Characters

Motivations shine in Fury’s pragmatic double-cross for Purgatori and Dejah’s vengeance over cure-seeking. Consistency holds with Sonja’s smash-happy vibe and Vampirella’s concern. Relatability dips as betrayals make trust arcs repetitive, lacking deeper emotional pulls.

Originality & Concept Execution

Mashing Drakulonians, Martians, and zombies with head-serum immunity adds a fresh immunity twist to the premise. Execution delivers punchy betrayals but recycles team-up fractures without bold premise payoff. It entertains via crossovers yet feels formulaic in apocalypse stakes.

Positives

Jordi Perez’s art nails chaotic fights and betrayals with dynamic panels that clarify telepathic zaps and gun standoffs, boosting readability in dense action. Fred Van Lente’s dialogue snaps in moments like Sonja’s “smash stuff” glee and Fury’s blunt orders, driving character voices sharply. The Rykor serum immunity ties cleverly into virus lore, advancing the crossover concept with measurable plot progress on potential cures.

Negatives

Pacing stumbles with abrupt shifts to Purgatori’s seduction subplots that dilute main lab destruction tension, wasting page time on filler chats. Character arcs repeat betrayals without fresh relatability, as Fury’s flip echoes prior conflicts, eroding investment in team dynamics. The cliffhanger explosion on Dejah’s saucer underdelivers originality, recycling escape teases instead of executing bold premise shifts like a real cure breakthrough. In all, this finale issue simply ends, albeit with a new direction, without any meaningful resolution.

Art Samples:

The Scorecard:

Writing Quality (Clarity & Pacing): [1.5/4​]
Art Quality (Execution & Synergy): [2.5/4​]
Value (Originality & Entertainment): [1/2]

Final Thoughts:

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DIE!NAMITE: BLOOD RED #5 urns time with recycled betrayals and half-baked cures that won’t earn shelf space in a tight pull list. Skip unless you’re hooked on the crossover grind. It teases progress but delivers more zombie chow than payoff.

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