Trying to escape Drum is a dangerous endeavor- especially when the President’s right hand man is hunting you as well. In Cemetery Beach issue 5, written by Warren Ellis, art by Jason Howard, and lettering by Fonografiks, Mike Blackburn the Oldhome soldier and Grace Moody the colony rebel, continue to fight their way to what they hope is a safe zone.

The residents of Drum are reckless, willing to do whatever it takes to win the fight and bring down their prey. In order to have a chance at survival Mike and Grace have to take even bigger risks. It’s easy being reckless when you don’t seem to care if you make it home alive.

Ellis does a wonderful job of applying the writing rule “show don’t tell.” While much of the story is told through the images the dialogue that is used doesn’t waste time with unnecessary details or descriptions. Anything that is said either helps develop the characters or further the plot. The interactions between the characters also help shed light on who they truly are.

Howard’s art pairs perfectly with the story. Each scene is dynamic with the panels flowing together like they were ripped straight from an action movie. The loose linework and coloring help with this flow.

With only two issues left before the series wraps, the pacing will hopefully pick up. There are many unanswered questions about who characters really are and there is still a lot of mystery surrounding Oldhome’s original intent for creating this colony. Ideally most of these questions will be answered before the end, but even if they aren’t this is a satisfying story overall.

GRADE: A