Posted in: Comics, Review | Tagged: action, flavia carracuzzo, giancarlo caracuzzo, hannibal tabu, horror, irrational numbers: subtraction, wunderman comics

Irrational Numbers Subtraction #5 Review: Pythagoras Fights Vampires Without Math

The Vampyr Nation is pinned down and enacting its final plan, but Pythagoras is watching and has his own designs which will end the Vampyr Nation once and for all. Plus, he is being aided by mysterious allies with great means.

If you're a loyal follower of my review work, you might remember that I was not a big fan of Irrational Numbers: Subtraction #1. It came off as an uninteresting entry in the long lineage of fantasy fiction that posits what would happen if a clandestine civilization of vampires had existed since time immemorial and existed to the relatively modern era.

However, I was sent a review copy of the final entry in the miniseries, and, since I greatly enjoyed Hannibal Tabu's other recent miniseries, Scoundrel, I decided to check out how this miniseries ended.

That brings us to Irrational Numbers: Subtraction #5, which isn't bad, but it doesn't exactly wow either. Pythagoras is forced to put down his vampiric descendants, and it's somewhat emotional. It's not the high-action romp that one would hope, as the confrontation begins and ends in short order.

Also, an odd amount of time is spent on a single sequence of Pythagoras drawing up a plan and then silently freerunning back to his home base. Five pages out of a 22-page comic is spent on this sequence for seemingly no reason.

Anyone hoping for some closure will be disappointed by a stinger ending that shows how this story could easily continue forward. Plus, it takes some of the tension and drama out of the confrontation between Pythagoras and the Vampyr Nation which immediately preceded it.

Giancarlo Caracuzzo's artwork is good. It provides a detailed and slightly cartoonish appearance which grants the comic some level of grittiness while not dipping into outright noir or attempts of photorealism. Each character is signified by a number of defining physical traits, and the action looks solid, focusing more on the effect than the cause. Flavia Caracuzzo provides the colorwork, which is somewhat restrained but offset by the occasional article of clothing or detail that gives some contrast

Irrational Numbers: Subtraction #5 is an underwhelming finale to this miniseries, but it's not an outright bad comic. It has some charms and quirks that give it its own identity, and the artwork is solid. If you've been following this series, it's worthy of your time. Otherwise, it's nothing to seek out.

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