KISS: PHANTOM OBSESSION #5 – Review

KISS: PHANTOM OBSESSION #5, from Dynamite Comics on January 19th, 2022, brings the current arc to a close by solving the mystery behind Darius Cho’s origin and a super-powered fight for the ages.

The Details

• Written By: Ian Edginton
• Art By: Celor
• Colors By: Valentina Pinto
• Letters By: Troy Peteri
• Cover Art By: Jae Lee (cover A)
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: January 19, 2022

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Was It Good?

Well, it’s the end of a bumpy run, and surprising as it may send, this is maybe the strongest issue of the run. KISS: PHANTOM OBSESSION #5 could be the best issue in the bunch because it wraps up the story clearly and concisely, and the art is… better.

When last we left KISS in issue #4, readers were given fairly large reveals to shock everything you knew about the series. Darius Cho is not Darius Cho. Lyra Tzen is not really Lyra Tzen. And the world’s greatest rock band finds themselves with superpowers and stuck in the middle of the comic version of Westworld. The journey up to this point was more than a little bit wonky but the conclusion starts to come around to making sense.

The majority of this issue is backstory and exposition as the “real” Darius Cho explains who he is, how he came to be where he is, who (or what) Lyra Tzen is, and it’s all wrapped up with a pretty little bow and a PSA life lesson from Gene Simmons as a cherry on top. The multiple mysteries are wrapped up with a reasonable amount of satisfaction, and the questions that remain unanswered (what is KISS going to do with their superpowers?) are inconsequential enough to be ignored for now or left for a follow-up.

The big plus of the issue is a notable improvement in art from Celor. to be clear, it’s not great or even close to the best on what you’ll typically find on the market today, but it is better compared to the previous issues. All the panels look finished, there’s some attention to detail, and Pinto’s colors give the scenes a polished look. Take the small victories where you can get them. The art team finished strong on this series.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

If you don’t remember the big shock reveal at the end of the last issue, first read our KISS: PHANTOM OBSESSION #4 review.

We begin in the isolated cabin on Cho island where KISS gets the lowdown from the identical-looking but far older Darius Cho. It turns out this is the real Darius Cho and the man KISS has been running from the whole time is an android built by the elder Cho to run his affairs. As you’ve already guessed, the android has exceeded his programming and taken things way too far.

Cho built the android to run the day-to-day operations after Cho spent years developing tech to save his daughter dying from cancer. Lyra Tzen is another android built by Cho, as you’ve already guessed, to play the part of Cho’s daughter had she had the chance to grow up. In short, Cho built androids to take the place of himself and his family to live the life he wished he had lived but his arrogance in playing God turned out all wrong.

Robo-Cho, however, is not deterred from KISS learning the truth. He suits up in a new set of mech armor based on his god-particle findings and rockets to the cabin to take the band out so they can be dissected and studied. We conclude the issue with Rock Band vs Robo-Cho and a concert for the ages.

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