The Good
Brainiac just took himself a good chunk of Tolerance. Inside of this chunk was K'Rot, Caul, and Bleeding Adonis. Caul finally finds his power battery and tries to escape the city in order to take down the man that shrunk them all.
Another incredibly fun issue from this creative team! Writer Keith Giffen keeps this issue a bit lighter and the focus mainly on Caul and K'Rot here, but it's an easy to follow and solid issue. Issue #5 feels more like the start to a great adventure more than anything else here, while expanding upon DC's sci-fi universe.
I really loved the Brainiac design here. It's reminiscent of his Pre-52 design: the last time Superman encountered him. He's "beefed" up in the black and white suit. Brainiac feels different here though. He's a bit more robotic in personality and very calm. It's not the same character many of us are used to, but I like the changes, nevertheless. Brainiac fits so well in this book. He's a cosmic character, but he's always thought of as a Superman villain. I like that Giffen is putting characters like Brainiac and Blue Beetle, who are rooted inside of the cosmic world, into a sci-fi book.
I loved the back and forth dialogue between K'Rot and Adonis. It was very witty and snappy.
Prepare your eyes for a lot of green because Caul finally gets his power battery back! It's a moment I've been super-excited for since the beginning of the series. I love how Caul carries his power battery as well. I really like the slung over the shoulder look for it.
Both artists on this book are fantastic, but Tom Raney is truly a stand out. He and colorist Andrew Dalhouse are a fantastic team. When we first see Caul, K'Rot, and Adonis, in this issue, we are treated to an amazing splash page, with Brainiac in the background. I love Dalhouse's color shading, and the layout of the characters here is great.
I don't mean to make Larfleeze a footnote in this review. I've loved this back-up, and there's a reason it's getting its own series. This is a ton of fun, and we get to learn what happened to all of Larfleeze's stuff. On top of that, we also learn that Larfleeze can have meetings with all of his constructs in his mind. Pretty cool story and once again, awesome art from Scott Kollins.
The Bad
The only problem I have with this issue is the fact that, once again, they switch up the artists. Tom Raney does pages 1-10 and Phil Winslade does pages 11-20. Both Raney and Winslade are talented artists, but the change is noticeable and a bit distracting, especially since they both draw K'Rot's face very differently.
The Verdict
I'm loving this series. It's a great sci-fi adventure and a wonderful addition to the DC line. Both the main story and the back-up are fantastic, and in this issue, in particular, we get to see a lot of awesome things, like the return of Brainiac. The all three artists on this book are awesome, although I did have a problem with the art change halfway though the issue.
Overall, I love this series, and I highly suggest you pick it up.