New Warriors #5 *Spoilers*

[Expletive Deleted]

New Warriors #5 by Yost and Roche, out today.

In this issue: New Men, Elder Gods, bonding, and another new addition to the NYC skyline.

After beating the High Evolutionary last issue, the team (minus Nova, who's gone home) explores Wundagore Mountain. Vance, Water Snake (AKA Definitely Not Namorita), and Scarlet Spider poke around the citadel, while Speedball leads the others down to the village. Vance's team fights some high tech traps and meets a pair of New Men, the High Evolutionary's human-animal hybrid creations. They seem friendly enough, but they also seem to be secretly in league with Wundagore's other prominent resident, the Elder God Chthon. Meanwhile, Speedball's team has lunch and chats a bit. Aracely pokes around in Speedball's head and finds that he's still dealing with his Penance phase. Once everyone's back in the citadel, the New Men volunteer to use the High Evolutionary's tech to transport them wherever they want. However, instead of just sending them home to New York, the device teleports the entire mountain to just off the coast of Manhattan.

Roche brings a different energy to the book than To, but I think it works for a good-natured table-setting issue like this one. The book still isn't anything earth-shattering, but now that the first arc is out of the way and we can see a bit more of Yost's long game, I think it's settling into a nice groove as a solid superhero team book.

[sifighter]

I think this series has been a lot of fun, and the throwbacks to older series and events are cool. The characters on the team are a real oddball group that somehow manages to work together and save everyone, my favorites being Aracely, Nova, and Kaine. If I have one complaint it's that I don't feel as though I know water snake and Heichi(sorry if misspelled) that well being as they are new characters. I think Wundagore mountain is an odd place for them to set up shop, but I'll see where it goes.

Although, the Avengers must be ticked, the Inhumans have set up shop in between New Jersey and New York and now the New Warriors, which is a team not to many people in the MU are happy about, have teleported a mountain of all things to the coast of NY. It must be weird living in NY in the MU.

[devinofthedead]

I can't wait to get this today. Love this book! I really hope more people pick this and Nova up. It's nice to have a fun book with a great team. Not the same old Avengers this, X-Men that.

[scribbleMind]

I loved it. Waffles and Whiskers appeal to me. The only problem I had were the exposition bombs, but with a title that's in danger of being too niche it's probably a good idea to just get all of that out of the way and move on. Someone older than the Celestials? My first thought was another Aztec god, but I think they would only be as old as humanity.

[Expletive Deleted]

Someone older than the Celestials? My first thought was another Aztec god, but I think they would only be as old as humanity.

It's Chthon.

I don't know if he's actually older than the Celestials, but it wouldn't be a stretch to have him lie as part of a manipulation.

[Rob London]

This was far and away the best issue yet. Maybe it was the Nick Roche art, but this issue really put me in mind of Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye (and if you don't think that's praise of the highest order, you haven't been reading MTMTE).

Now that the team's all set up, Yost can get down to business, and thankfully that business is a) going to a bar and b) meeting amusing animal-people. It was the funniest book I read this week, and this was a Superior Foes week, no less.

[Huntsman Spider]

At least we now have context for that New Warriors/Avengers confrontation coming up in issue 6. Instead of the Avengers just coming off as territorial/authoritarian @$$hats, what happened here gives them genuine cause for concern that the New Warriors haven't learned a damn thing from the tragedy that started the Civil War and turned their name into an epithet. The New Warriors will definitely be able to argue that it's not what it looks like, but considering how on edge the Avengers are from the rise of the Inhumans and other recent events that could be potentially used as fuel to turn public opinion/perception of superhuman beings even more negative than what's already the norm, I could see their point, too. On the other hand, I could see one of the New Warriors, maybe Justice or Speedball since they're two of the founding members, arguing back that the New Warriors don't deserve to be used as the collective whipping boy of the superhero community while the Avengers pretend they've got clean hands. It's really a lot more complex than I thought it'd be at first, and yeah, that's a whole lot of talk about the next issue when we've just gotten this one. Sorry.

[Chobbly]

Enjoyed this issue - initially taken aback by the art switch but it didn't affect the story for me. The bar scene was great; we got an inkling of how Speedball still feels about himself and always good to see Aracely in full-speed conversation flow. I liked the interplay between Justice, Kaine and Water Snake and it was nice to get a nod to another Scarlet Spider once being a member of the New Warriors. It will be interesting to see if Justice manages to get Water Snake's DNA scanned and find out what the truth is.

I think Waffles and Whiskers need their own one-shot, IMHO. In fact, when they get to New York they might as well set Whiskers on the Avengers and just stand well back. As you say Huntsman Spider, this issue sets up the run-in with the Avengers really well.

[Enigmatic Undead]

The issue opens with one of the New Men Caninus playing chess with a shadowy figure (possibly someone who was kept prisoner by The High Evolutionary). Justice, Scarlet Spider and Water Snake continue to secure Wundagore Mountain by dispatching the remaining security robots. Justice argues with Water Snake about whether or not she is actually Namorita. She is then struck by a vision of the group chained upside down bleeding in a dark room with a pentagram written in blood on the floor. The other New Warriors, Speedball, Sun Girl, Hummingbird and Haechi show up in the village with intentions to help. However the villagers are used to big explosions and strange occurrences up at Wundagore Mountain so the New Warriors decide to stay and eat. Back at Wundagore Justice, Scarlet Spider and Water Snake are attacked by one of the New Men Felinatus. Over a meal Speedball, Sun Girl, Hummingbird and Haechi share a little about themselves with each other. Hummingbird using her psychic power sees Speedball as Penance which makes for some awkward dinner conversation. Upon returning they find their friends allied with the New Men Caninus and Felinatus. They decided to help teleport the team back to New York but instead end up teleporting Wundagore Mountain to New York.

This issue was ridiculously fun. One of the best issues yet. It sets up a mysterious villain that may lead the New Warriors into a confrontation with the Celestials.

[DjMichael691]

Agreed. The story and dialog was great but was very disappointed with the artwork. I can't wait to see more of the Speedball/Penance scenario unfold. This title really deserves a stronger artist because everything else is A+.

[devinofthedead]

If you guys are enjoying New Warriors and Nova, I found a podcast for the both of them. It's called the CrashPod. It's only one episode so far, but it's very good! Check it out.

[Habis]

I'm liking this new team. There is a lack of psychos and terrorist that I'm thankful for, and there is the right combination of idealism, pragmatism, cheerfulness, brooding and grumpiness among its members. Too many teams are made mostly of depressed and/or amoral jerks.

They just need to make engaging stories so the series goes on and doesn't get cancelled.

It's Chthon.

I don't know if he's actually older than the Celestials, but it wouldn't be a stretch to have him lie as part of a manipulation.

Cthon most probably isn't older than the Celestials. Cthon was created when Earth was on the brisk of developing life, while the Celestials are probably older than the Universe itself.

[KurtW95]

I liked the new names the two New Men were given.

[The Cool Thatguy]

It's Chthon.

I don't know if he's actually older than the Celestials, but it wouldn't be a stretch to have him lie as part of a manipulation.

Well, he is older than humanity according to the Atlantis Attacks backups, so he would have been on earth for millions of years before the Celestial's came a knockin'.

I wonder if the Avengers will remember that he's trapped in the mountain that just moved...

[Den]

The art change took me off guard, but only a little. Despite my loathing for all things Civil War, including the "Bleedball" days for Robbie, I have to admit it was pretty well handled. Maybe Yost is deciding the best way out for that little slice of Dork age is through. If Hummingbird wants to crush on Robbie, so be it. It could be fun

And yes, Waffles and Whiskers are hilarious. I'm glad that some of the beast men survived