Posted in: Comics, Image | Tagged: Cat Staggs, crosswind, gail simone, HRL, image comics

Crosswind #5 Review: Gail Simone And Cat Staggs Continue To Be Awesome

Crosswind #5 finds Cason is doing his best to raise Juniper's stepson as best as he can while Juniper is trying to keep Cason's girlfriend, Mika. Juniper's stepson has been bullied and abused at school, and a sadistic madman has beat Mika to the ground.

Things about the transition between Cason and Juniper come to light, and things come to a head between Cason and Juniper's husband.

Gail Simone is among the best writers in the comics industry. Full stop. No counterarguments accepted.

From Secret Six to Birds of Prey to Clean Room to Red Sonja to Wonder Woman, she has put out some of the coolest and most unique material in the comics industry.

Crosswind is no different, with its weird Freaky Friday-esque premise of a subdued housewife in Washington State switching bodies with a vicious Chicago hitman. Both characters can sound like archetypes with that description, but Juniper and Cason are unique personalities in their own rights.

In this issue, we get to see how each person is both changing the roles they've been forced into while being changed by them at the same time. Cason shows some sincere affection for Juniper's stepson, Kelly, and Juniper connects with Mika in a different way.

There is plenty of tension and action here too, with the insane Cruz being involved in a gory fight sequence and the showdown between Cason and Juniper's husband, Jimmy.

Simone's script contains her trademark quirky and endearing characters. Cason is viscous yet sincere. Juniper is timid yet contains an initiative when the situation calls for it.

The explanation for this transition is surprisingly elaborate yet interesting and full of possibility.

Cat Staggs's artwork is an interesting mixture of photorealistic and obscured. The photorealism gives everything this visceral and, at times, gut-twisting tangibility. The fuzziness and obscurity provide some distinct personality. In addition, Staggs's color work is fantastic.

Crosswind #5 is a great, funny, and high-octane read. The characters are lovable, the artwork is rock-solid, and the plot is intriguing. Gail Simone and Cat Staggs put forward some of their best work here, and I cannot recommend it enough. Pick it up.

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