G.I Combat #5 Review

G.I COMBAT #5

by Peter Tomasi, Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti, Howard Chaykin and Staz Johnson

DC has revived one of their qurkiest, yet beloved characters back. The Haunted Tank is back, but is it worth blasting $4 out of your wallet?

Tomasi is a writer I've grown fond of. I LOVE his work on Batman and Robin,  and his Green Lantern work hasn't been bad either. So why is Haunted Tank such a... tanker? For one thing, readers are thrown into the conflict without being told anything about the Tank, except for its connection with the Stuart family. This was extremely confusing for a new reader like me. Tomasi also falls to stereotypical bad dialogue just like  Team 7. However, the scenes of the Tank causing mayhem are an endless source of fun and humor, showcasing Tomasi's knack for blending humor and comedy. Seriously, how freaked out would you be if there was a WW2 era tank without a driver, rolling over cars in the freeway?

All the blame for the book's misfortune cannot be put solely on Tomasi, because Howard Chaykin's artwork  is disappointing as well. His work is scratchy like Jock's, but is distracting and does not compliment the story much. It has a very rushed feel to it, as a  lot of panels are caked with chicken scratches. Chaykin does manage to make the Tank look foreboding and dangerous, and tries his best to make the  scenes of chaos fun.

The Unknown Soldier backup was... What? I did not understand what happened in it.   Gray and Palmiotti's story was not interesting enough to keep my interest, and the art was lackluster as well. Perhaps it's because I  jumped into the story in the middle, but couldn't DC bother to at least put a "Previously..." page?

G.I Combat #5 is fun here and there, but it  is not a worthy investment. It's better just to leave it in the shell!

STORY: 3/5

ART: 2/5

BACKUP: 1/5

VERDICT: 2/5