HYDE STREET #6, by Image Comics on 5/28/25, finds Mr. X-Ray implementing a new plan to stop Pranky. If he can’t convince his fellow soul collectors to join his army, he’ll make one.
Credits:
- Writer: Geoff Johns
- Artist: Francis Portela
- Colorist: Brad Anderson
- Letterer: Rob Leigh
- Cover Artist: Ivan Reis, Danny Miki, Brad Anderson (cover A)
- Publisher: Image Comics
- Release Date: May 28, 2025
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Page Count: 36
- Format: Single Issue
Covers:
Analysis of HYDE STREET #6:
Recap:
When we last left the eclectic band of soul collectors in Hyde Street #5, Mister X-Ray entered Glee Goodbody’s shop to discuss Pranky’s sabotaging ways. Glee is unconcerned with Pranky since she’s two souls away from meeting her goal of freedom, but her tune may soon change when Pranky ensures Glee Goodbody’s tour of duty takes a wee bit longer.
Plot Analysis:
In Hyde Street #6, Mr. X-Ray takes matters into his own hands while Pranky sabotages anyone who works against him. The issue begins with Pranky snatching away Miss Goodbody’s latest catch, ensuring she remains two souls short of freedom. He leaves the store with a Monster Compass he steals from one of the shelves, knowing Goodbody is terrified of stepping outside to stop him.
Elsewhere, Mr. X-Ray examines the profiles of other soul collectors to deduce who might be open to a partnership to make Pranky leave. None of the usual suspects are willing, so he devises a new plan – use his marketing genius to manipulate new arrivals into helping him, starting with a crashed bus full of nasty people.
Mr. X-Ray guides the lot into an empty theater by convincing the tourists that the crash was all part of the Hollywood tour. During the film, each tourist is confronted with a film of their personal misdeeds. When the movie ends, they each have a choice to either forget the awful accident that brought them to Hyde Street or accept responsibility. Most choose the former, increasing Mr. X-Ray’s solu count and giving him new recruits for his plan.
First Impressions:
Hyde Street #6 is fine to okay to serviceable. Geoff Johns wanders further away from the premise that made the first issues so fun to develop a bubbling civil war between the soul reapers. Some may find the new direction more captivating, but the odd way Mr. X-Ray goes about his crusade is a headscratcher.
Artwork and Presentation:
Francis Portela does a bang-up job carrying the conflict on two fronts – first, in the argument between Pranky and Goodbody. Second, in Mr. X-Ray’s group collection of unseemly tourists. Portela’s detailed work is impressive, and Brad Anderson’s colors are equally amazing. That said, Portela doesn’t have the same knack for a diabolical edge that Ivan Reis brought to the first issues, so the visuals don’t quite have the same impact.
Art Samples:
Story Positives & Negatives:
The Positives:
As much as we’re fans of the ironic twists in the first several issues, Geoff Johns organically moves the title in a potentially interesting direction by building to a soul collector war. Johns’s portrayal of Pranky makes him the kid you love to hate, and the new direction capitalizes on the innate need to see the little brat get what’s coming to him.
The Negatives:
The big idea in this issue is Mr. X-Ray’s plan to build an army to take down Pranky. Why is that a problem? So far, Johns hasn’t spelled out how somebody becomes a soul collector, who gets picked versus who doesn’t, or how Mr. X-Ray could work the system in his favor. In short, you don’t understand Mr. X-Ray’s plan because you don’t know how anything works.
Final Thoughts:
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HYDE STREET #6 moves away from the episodic storytelling about each soul collector to set the foundation for a potential war. Geoff Johns’s character work is top-notch as Pranky cements his reputation as the brat you love to hate. Plus, Francis Portela’s detailed artwork is exceptional. That said, the big twist of this issue doesn’t land well because the rules of Hyde Street are still a mystery.
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