"Dynamo 5" has really done some growing up over the almost-two-year span of its publishing history. Once branded as a post-nuclear family, this title now features a team that has pushed beyond post-nuclear and taken on the identity of a reliable super team. While their adventures in costume are limited to a small segment of this issue, the real story is the world these heroes live in.
Faerber and Asrar have been world building since the debut issue of this title. Sure, Faerber had some success and some elements from other titles previous to his work here, but this one was a ground-up construction project in tandem with Mahmud A. Asrar pushing the pencils. The duo have built Tower City and populated it with characters that are at once awe-inspiring (to both reader and resident) and also far too human. The family is not paralyzed by the constant stereotypical bickering associated with a nuclear family, but rather the individuals all play off of one another, deepening the story and offering new possibilities that superhero titles at the other companies don't seem to want to engage in.
Asrar has put his creative thumbprint all over this team and truly has engaged in the partnership with Jay Faerber. Asrar splits duties in this issue with Yildiray Cinar, and the results are visually enticing. While I couldn't delineate who did which pages, there is a distinct difference in flavor between the two, but not in a detrimental way. The two work well together to provide a traditionally rendered, readable comic.
That said, this issue is a near perfect jumping on point. Enough exposition is shared with these characters to allow a fresh reader to process and comprehend the action and the players without needing to use Google to investigate every character on every page. Despite their efforts to craft perfect jumping on points prior to this, when Faerber, Asrar, and Cinar just let their work take precedence, this gateway happened. The best laid plans after all. . .
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