Comic Review: Moth City #5

Starting just over a year ago, Tim Gibson began releasing Moth City online through his own website. Less than a year later and Tim and Moth City are now part of Thrillbent and releases digitally every other month through Comixology. The fifth issue finds Governor McCaw doing drastic things as the island goes mad and the Chinese Army begins to beat at his door.

As the island begins to tear itself apart as a result of the chemical weapons, Governor McCaw is attempting to the save his daughter Glitter, and keep the island under control. General Hong begins to near the island, aiming to make sure that whatever is tearing it apart doesn’t reach mainland China. And amid all the terror and violence, Jun battles his hunger while trying to save his wife and those that she manages to find and rescue. With nothing going right and the city falling apart, things are about to go from bad to worse.

As the story of Moth City has grown, Gibson has taken it from a more character-driven sort of political book into what is now turning into an action/horror book. The shift seemed more than natural and has been done in such an exquisite way. The story continues to get better, adding depth to the characters, mixing in a bit of humor, and making the situation on the island more and more tense. The suspense and terror build as the “guided view” type animations slowly and deliberately drop more dialogue and art onto the page, giving the reader exactly what Gibson wants.

The art continues to improve as the story progresses. The gore in the story has never looked better, and with the way things are turning out, there is likely to be much more of it. The bit of story in this issue allows for Gibson to draw a drunk McCaw, which is all you could hope for. Jun’s pained looks really show his deep concern and also internal battle, as he strives to protect his wife, but must constantly combat the urges brought upon by his new condition. The human element of the story is not lost, even as things start to become a bit less human.

Moth City is, hands down, one of the best digital comics around. It’s well-written, beautifully drawn, and constantly surprises. Any reader looking for something a bit outside the normal fare of comic offerings can’t go wrong by plopping down $1.99 on a digital copy on ComiXology. Buy it now, so you can say you were reading Tim Gibson comics before he was famous.

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