The New York Five #4

Written by Brian Wood
Art by Ryan Kelly and Jim Rugg

Throughout this mini-series, which is a sequel to the Minx book The New York Four, there has been a recurring sense of disjointedness, as scenes shift suddenly and plot elements are introduced and go nowhere.

This concluding issue suffers from this sense of dissonance more than some of the others.  To begin with, a character is killed off (I know that's a spoiler, but look at the cover) suddenly, and to a disappointing effect.  The character was not very well developed, so not only is it hard to care about her, it's also hard to understand why her friends are upset.  Her wake leads to a possible romantic opportunity for Merissa, but that also goes absolutely nowhere.

I feel bad slamming a book like this.  Wood is usually an amazing writer, but I remember his writing in the first issue that he had a lot of difficulty making his story fit a four 20-page issue format, as he was originally planning for this to be a longer-form graphic novel.

The art in this series has been amazing, as Ryan Kelly always is.  The addition of Jim Rugg (read Street Angel!) on inks is seamless, as Kelly continues to give us some gorgeous shots of New York City.