When the Blood Has Dried #5
Mad Cave Studios
W: Gary Moloney
A: Daniel Romero Ulloa
L: Becca Carey
Synopsis…For five years, Meabh of Cklonia has lived a lie among the people of Carraig an Bhun…abandoning the way of violence and trying to atone for the innocent blood on her hands. Now, as the sun sets on the Lough Inn, she draws her sword once more, and the people who accepted her as one of their own are about to learn the harsh truth.
Thoughts…It has all been leading to this point, with issue 4 leaving us with no question that the only course of action for Meabh was to fight for her new home, no matter what the cost. While the previous issues have been more slower paced, building the tension and carefully taking us through events this issue is the complete opposite. From the start it is full on action, showing that Meabh has not forgotten anything from her old life when it comes to swordplay. I can not say too much here as we don’t need spoilers but things are forever changed by the end of the issue.
This was a great final issue to an excellent series, I can still remember the sense of dread I had reading through the first issue being worried about what could happen to this peaceful little town once the Guild arrived. The series was not what I expected at all in how it played out, I liked that it slowly built up to this explosive ending, taking its time to bring everything to the boil throughout the run. It did a great job of pulling you in and actually fearing for the characters lives. The tensions rose from issue to issue and it was written in such a way that there was no letting up from the feeling that things could get worse at any moment leading to the only decision Meabh could make to free the town from the grip of the Guild before it was too late.
This issue was such a great way to finish this chapter of the story, I am hoping we see more of this world in the future. From the first read I knew this series was going to be one of my favourites of the year and it has been one of the few books that I made sure I kept reading while I was taking a break from reading. I would recommend this series to everyone, it's a great read for fans of fantasy based settings and for those that like there comics to have a bit more depth and emotion to them. I would give this issue 9 out of 10, a brilliant ending to an outstanding series.
