Clear #5 Review

To truly see.

Creative Staff:
Story: Scott Snyder
Art: Francis Manapul
Letterer: Andworld Design

What They Say:
A sci-fi mystery thrill-ride into a strange dystopian future, where a neurological internet connection is transforming reality.

Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The second of the slate of titles that Scott Snyder is working on as part of his line of originals through ComiXology, Clear started off its first issue with a noir-style story with the science fiction side to it. I liked it a lot but found myself really struggling more as it went forward because it starts more with flashbacks that didn’t work well. It was hard to get back on track after that even with some better material following, but it did manage to keep me interested. Snyder is working with Francis Manapul on this one and Manapul’s artwork has been one of my favorite things since I first saw his work what feels like ages ago. He’s got such a great sense of style and how to work layouts that something like this series with how it utilizes its visual design is just an ideal pairing.

With this penultimate issue, Clear moves into being exactly what its title is, clear about the reality of this world. We’ve seen the variations and how these veils work and the details of the Baxter system that Kendra was working on. Here, we see how Dunes is seemingly at the end of things after making his leap only to find himself firmly in the hands of the Widow as others try to eliminate him. She and her sub are able to be mostly invisible for a while as they talk but eventually they’re found out, which leads to a mild chase of sorts. What’s fascinating about that aspect of the sequence is how the gear on the Widow’s ship is able to impact the other ship as they think they’re dealing with a giant squid at first and then that their ship is transported into space, causing quite a panic even though they know that it can’t possibly be true. But such is the reinforcement of the power of the Veil.

What makes this installment work is that it really is just extensive dialogue between the Widow and Dunes. And really, it’s more that she’s revealing everything here about what the system is about and his belief that Kendra was trying to make people go clear, even briefly, to engage with the real world. Widow’s dialogue and reflections are interesting and timely to be sure, but the real part that hits is when Dunes finds out that the clear that he’s lived in and experience isn’t true clear. It’s not reality. It’s a fake clear that has been foisted upon them and that even though she knows the truth of the world, there’s still so much she doesn’t know as wll. When we see him experiencing what the world really is and its lack of color, it’s definitely haunting visually and with the dialogue makes clear exactly what he’s going to use the system to burn it all down.

In Summary:
Clear has been an interesting ride overall even if it is one that I’ve struggled with at times. I’m eager to see how the final installment will go now that we’ve had such a significant reveal here with what’s going on because it can make quite the impact overall. It’s a solid read even while being just exposition for the most part with some mild action thrown in for some variety. Manapul’s artwork is always great and even just doing this works out well because of the layouts and design to keep it flowing in a really good way to engage the reader and feel like things are happening as the tension rises.

Grade: B+

Age Rating: 15+
Released By: Best Jackett Press / ComiXology Originals
Release Date: December 21st, 2021
MSRP: $3.99