Comics Review: "KISS: Phantom Obsession #5" Gets it In the End

KISS: PHANTOM OBSESSION #5
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Ian Edginton
ART: Celor
COLORS: Valentina Pinto
LETTERS: Troy Peteri
EDITOR: Joseph Rybandt
COVER: Jae Lee with June Chung
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Stuart Sayger; Tim Seeley; Celor
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (January 2022)

Rated Teen+

Kiss is an American, four-man, rock band.  It was formed in New York City in January 1973 by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss, the original line-up that is also considered classic Kiss.  Kiss is best known for its members' face paint and stage outfits, and the group rose to prominence and gained a notorious reputation in the mid to late 1970s with its shocking live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood-spitting, and pyrotechnics.

Dynamite Entertainment obtained the license to produce comic books featuring Kiss' brand and began releasing Kiss comic books in 2016.  The latest comic book is Kiss: Phantom Obsession.  It is written by Ian Edginton; drawn by Celor; colored by Valentina Pinto; and lettered by Troy Peteri.  Phantom Obsession pits the band against Darius Cho, a powerful, super-wealthy, obsessed Kiss fan who wants more than some autographs.

As Kiss: Phantom Obsession #5 opens, Paul, Gene, Ace, and Peter learn the secrets of Darius Cho.  That means that they must also confront the secrets of Lyra Tzen, one of Cho's employees.  Since being kidnapped by Cho and presumed dead, KISS has faced it all:  megalomaniacs, giant monsters and robots, and now, a killer android.  Can the greatest Rock N' Roll band in the world survive its final showdown with the true mastermind behind it all?

THE LOWDOWN:  In July 2021, Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is Kiss: Phantom Obsession #5, which is only the fifth Kiss comic book that I have ever read.

In the first four issues of Phantom Obsession, writer Ian Edginton offers a breezy adventure that is part Kiss comic book and part superhero comic book.  I thought that Phantom Obsession #4 was the best issue of the series, but issue #5 surpasses it.  The sad back story and the awful costs of a tech billionaire's arrogance and lack of self-awareness come full circle.

As this is the final issue of the miniseries, I think Phantom Obsession will read really nicely as a trade paperback.  For one thing, readers can see the evolution of the art team of illustrator Celor and colorist Valentina Pinto.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Kiss comic books will want to read Kiss: Phantom Obsession.

B

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


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