Review: Spandex #5

In the previous issue of Spandex, our queer heroes were felled by the all-lesbian Les Girlz. Only team leader Liberty was left alone…until now.

Spandex does Where's Waldo?

In this fifth issue, writer and artist Martin Eden has his fun with the myriad of characters he’s created for this and his other series, O-Men, by setting up a big fight, at first between Liberty and loads of supervillains, but soon with the help of more superheroes than in a DC or Marvel company-wide crossover. And all that in dense but highly legible pages. Which makes it better than most current mainstream crossovers in my opinion.

But this issue is far more than a slugfest. We also learn about Liberty’s past, the way a dress-wearing little boy grew up to become the transvestite hero Liberty, and her first attempt at assembling a team. Eden has already shown that he’s never happy with simple flashbacks, and this one follows that rule: there’s a reason Liberty is divulging all this, and it’s not a pretty one.
Of course, what would be a Spandex issue without its big (and I mean big!) reveal at the end of this issue? A reveal I didn’t see coming at all and which made me giggle in shock.

There’s also a few bonus pages which show Eden having fun with his characters, such as one named James Bend and the titles of his adventures (I’ll let you know imagine what they could be), or a crossover checklist for the dozen of titles he’s published (or not).

Spandex #5 is another winner issue, for a series that’s become a favorite of mine. It seems Martin Eden has even more trouble in store for his characters, and I can’t wait to see it.

As usual, you can buy a copy (paper or PDF) of this comic from the author. Besides the comic, you’ll get a trading card and a mini-comic showcasing J-Team, a Japanese group of heroes. It’s short, violent and fun.