NATURE’S LABYRINTH #5, from Mad Cave Studios on April 5th, 2023, whittles the contestants down to a single winner (sort of) in this penultimate issue, where the stakes and wackiness reach new depths.
The Details
- Written by: Zac Thompson
- Art by: Bayleigh Underwood
- Colors by: Warnia Sahadewa
- Letters by: Rus Wooton
- Cover art by: Filya Bratukhin, Jason Wordie
- Comic Rating: Mature
- Cover price: $3.99
- Release date: April 5, 2023
Is It Good?
Well, okay. If you thought this series couldn’t get any wackier or weirder, NATURE’S LABYRINTH #5 is here to set the record straight. This issue is a whole bag of nutty nonsense with extra to spare, and that’s being kind.
When last we left the contestants, only three remained. The Shield (presumably the protagonist or not since nothing is explained), managed to escape the ever-changing landscape to get to the penultimate checkpoint. Now, the survivors are taking too long to get to the finish line or kill each other, so the game masters increase the danger to give the audience (whoever that may be) what they want.
Apologies for the snark, but the obvious down point of NATURE’S LABYRINTH #5 and the whole series is a basic lack of any setup on just about everything. There’s no setup for who is behind the game, what they want, or why they want it. The traps barely make sense because there is no context behind how the island functions. Is it magic? Is it technology? Is it some Matrix-like virtual world? Weird new characters are introduced in this issue without the faintest amount of introduction. And the character interactions are becoming increasingly bizarre in their actions and dialog.
It’s as if Zac Thompson said, “I’m going to write the most random, incoherent script possible.”
When we draft these reviews, we try to apply an even hand of positives to negatives to provide balance, but it is an absolute struggle to find some positives in Thompson’s “story.” It’s a disjointed mess.
The best positives we could offer are in Underwood and Sahadewa’s art. Better still, give the art team a gold star for bringing some order to the chaos by providing pages you can follow, even if you don’t understand what’s happening. Sahadewa’s coloring is vibrant, and Underwood’s artistic execution is solid.
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]
Check out our NATURE’S LABYRINTH #4 review to find out what happened to the Shield.
We begin with the Shield spying on two henchmen arguing over poor-tasting food. One of the henchmen decides to force the other to stop eating poor-tasting food and cannibalize a third henchman, who’s bound and gagged. The Sword pops out of nowhere and slaughters all the henchmen.
Later, the game masters make an appearance and decide to move the maze (?) to force the contestants closer to each other to force a fight. Moving the maze (?) works, but the Sword and Flame are allies who decide to team up against the Shield.
We conclude the issue with thorny booby traps, a debate about cryptocurrency, and a rebellious child.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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NATURE’S LABYRINTH #5 is a bizarre penultimate issue for an increasingly bizarre series. The plot developments are mostly random, new characters are introduced without warning and removed just as quickly, and nothing about this game has a point. The art’s decent enough, but the story is pure chaos.
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