THE LIVING CORPSE: RELICS #5 – Review

THE LIVING CORPSE: RELICS #5, from American Mythology on December 22nd, 2021, finds all paths leading to Asteroth as the master manipulator behind all of John’s troubles. When John teams up with a former Gatekeeper and Lilith teams up with a famous monster(s), the fabric of reality is suddenly in peril.

The Details

• Written By: Ken Haeser
• Art By: Ken Haeser, Buz Hasson
• Colors By: Blair Smith
• Letters By: Ken Haeser
• Cover Art By: Ken Haeser, Blair Smith
• Cover price: $3.99
• Release date: December 22, 2021

Was It Good?

THE LIVING CORPSE: RELICS #5 shifts the entire scale of the series from a fight between good and evil into a fight to save reality. Yeah, it gets that big in a hurry with cool monster fights, a few twists that weren’t entirely predictable, and a doozy of a cliffhanger.

The glowing highlight of this issue is Haeser’s and Hasson’s big, bombastic swings at making the stakes of this adventure as epic as possible. We don’t use the word “epic” lightly, so when the stakes rise, they burst through the proverbial roof and keep going. There’s simply nothing safe or grounded about this comic, and the net result is better for it.

The minor down point of this issue is Lilith’s confusing, flip-flopping behavior. Her attitude may get clarification in the next issue, but in isolation, it was hard to get a handle on where Lilith was coming from.

The art, of course, is great in this issue. Yes, you could argue that the character designs are cartoony, but that’s part of the charm of The Living Corpse series.

The standout in this issue, however, is Smith’s coloring. There are multiple scenes with dozens (hundreds?) are monster hordes fighting, and Smith’s coloring is doing the Lord’s work making the main characters stand out in the crowds.

Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.

What’s It About?

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

It’s been an undead minute since we reviewed this title, so refresh your memory with where we left off in our THE LIVING CORPSE: RELICS #4 review.

We begin with Romero and his predecessor discussing how to take down Asteroth, the last fallen angel. With a little help from the Spear of Destiny, of course. They travel through Limbo to get to Asteroth’s location, and Romero marvels at how much he can learn from his predecessor about how to use his abilities.

Meanwhile, Dr. Frankenestein fights against the cauldron of Nosferatu attacking Lilith. His undead body isn’t strong enough on its own, so he uses a little medical magic to temporarily turn into a Frankenstein/Werewolf to end the fight. Lilith is amazed at his strength and willingness to aid her, so she reluctantly accepts his help as long as he helps her eradicate the Nosferatu nest first.

Soon, the two teams collide in the city sewers and call out Asteroth to end his manipulations for good. We conclude the issue with an epic battle, more than one heel turn, and a crack in reality.

Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.

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