WRITER: LOWELL DEAN / ARTIST: JAVIER MARTIN CABA / LETERRER: MICAH MYERS / PUBLISHER: SELF-PUBLISHED / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

After finishing the stunning fourth issue of Atomic Victory Squad, the only downer was the realisation that there was only one more offering left before AVS’ five-issue debut arc came to a close. And here we are, now in the endgame of this most fascinating of tales.

As this fifth and final issue commences, She-Girl and Gary the Mime find themselves in the crosshairs of the nefarious Microchip, as the rest of the Squad rush to their rescue. By the time Invincibull, Zoozanna, Bubble Myers and Triangle Master escape the clutches of Farmer Bob and arrive on the scene, things have already gone to the dogs – with Gary under Microchip’s mind control, and the latest of the villainous professor’s creations having come to the fore.

From there, the Atomic Victory Squad are in the battle of their lives, as they have to embrace and battle their darkest nightmares: their own subconscious minds.

A bumper 40 pages, AVS #5 is a fitting end to this story, with all involved on absolute fire to deliver a fifth issue that is everything it needed to be and then some. The stakes are incredibly high, there very much is a price to pay, and creator/writer Lowell Dean uses his core six characters to again explore themes that so many of us can relate to.

Not only is Dean’s writing on point once more, brilliantly managing to keep the tale a quirky, humourous ride while simultaneously having far more serious issues under the surface, but artist Javier Martin Caba continues to feel as if he’s born to bring these characters to life. The artwork and colour palette themselves mesh so well with the world that Lowell has created, and the lettering from Micah Myers only further hammers home that the team behind AVS are the quintessential ‘dream team’ for bringing this most unique of realms to life.

For those who have been engrossed in the prior four issues, this fifth and final outing is well worthy of a full five-star rating. And if you’ve yet to discover the Atomic Victory Squad, what are you waiting? Seriously, head on over to Indiegogo – and AVS#5 will also shortly be available on Comixology.

Now, here’s hoping this ragtag group of heroes rear the heads again one day, for lord knows the world of comic books is all the better for having the Atomic Victory Squad in it.