Elena is face to face with the Umbra in its new avatar – her ex-girlfriend Amelia. Will she be able to gather enough light to protect her city and even the world from darkness? Find out in Abbott 197 9 #5 from BOOM! Studios.
ABBOTT 1979 #5
Writer: Saladin Ahmed
Artist: Sami Kivelä
Colorist: Dan Jackson
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Editor: Ramiro Portnoy
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: March 13, 2024
Previously in Abbott 1979: Elena rescues her brother from the Umbra and learns that her friend Sebastian sacrificed himself to make her stronger. He believed that she will be able to defeat the Umbra. She gets a call from the public TV station – they want her to record the promo for her new show, which she does, a rousing narrative about fighting for fairness…and fighting against the dark. That night, Samir comes to take her to the Umbra and warns her that it has found a new avatar. He flies her to the river, and she finds she can walk on water. The river has recognized her as its protector. Samir says his last goodbye and also sacrifices himself. Sebastian’s cane becomes a sword, and Samir’s memory becomes a suit of armor. The Umbra arises from the river in the form of a dragon, a dragon made of the souls who accuse the Lightbringer of causing their deaths!
WITH THE STRENGTH OF THE CITY BESIDE HER
Abbott 1979 #5 opens with Elena standing on the river facing down the Umbra’s new avatar, her ex-girlfriend Amelia. Elena demands that the Umbra let her go. Using Amelia’s voice, the Umbra counters that Amelia agrees to join with it. She wanted youth, power, and wealth. In return, the Umbra has a body it can use on Earth. It pulls the sword from Elena’s grasp!
But now Elena has even more to fight for. She wants to get her woman back. The Umbra laughs at her.
Across the city, something else happens. Elena’s television promo is aired. People from across the city, from all walks of life, hear her words. And on the river, Elena steps back from her fight and talks to Amelia. They cannot fight each other – they must fight together. Suddenly, a surge of light reaches her. Sparks of hope from the people of the city unite in her to bring her strength, and spirits manifest around her.
The Umbra is not impressed and declares it will drown them all in shadow. But Elena’s army are all people of the city, present and past and distant past. They won’t drown in the river; it recognizes them as belonging to it. The combined light from everyone lashes out at the Umbra and Amelia’s bonds loosen up enough so that she recognizes Elena. They talk about their past, what went wrong, and Elena assures her that she is not alone.
This banishes the Umbra. The spirits depart. Amelia remains, and the sun rises.
LIGHT AND SHADOW PERSONIFIED
Abbott 1979 #5 does not just end there; it is followed by a terrific epilogue that helps tie up some loose ends and set up the premise that the Umbra is never gone forever, but is always in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to strike. But one of the wonderful things about this epilogue is the subtle use of a shift in color and tone. Color can represent mood and feeling. We have read an entire story arc bathed in shadows and finally, we get to see the effect of a bit of sunshine. I love how this works.
But for pure drama, Elena’s encounter with the Umbra pulls out all the stops. Amelia’s arrival at the end of the last issue was nicely foreshadowed, and we see her immediately post-entrance, cold, haughty, and elegant. With the Umbra possessing her, her eyes appear red, and, in a really great touch, they match her fancy red shoes. All around her, we see the swirls of the Umbra. I like the contrast between the characters, who all have distinct outlines and features, and the Umbra which, even at its most solid, appears to be made of smoke or some other intangible substance. As the battle progresses, Elena gains more and more light surrounding her, so it becomes a literal conflict between light and darkness.
BOTTOM LINE: A GLORIOUS CONCLUSION
Abbott 1979 #5 is the finale of this story arc, and it is a grand one. The story covered a lot of ground but did so in a way that feels satisfying and connected, deftly telling a story where the angst of the time resonates strongly with today’s world.
Dear Spoilerite,
At Major Spoilers, we strive to create original content that you find interesting and entertaining. Producing, writing, recording, editing, and researching requires significant resources. We pay writers, podcast hosts, and other staff members who work tirelessly to provide you with insights into the comic book, gaming, and pop culture industries. Help us keep MajorSpoilers.com strong. Become a Patron (and our superhero) today.
Abbott 1979 #5
Is Elena up for the final battle against the Umbra?
-
Writing9
-
Art10
-
Coloring9
By day, she’s a mild-mannered bureaucrat and Ms. Know-It-All. By night, she’s a dance teacher and RPG player (although admittedly not on the same nights). On the weekends, she may be found judging Magic, playing Guild Wars 2 (badly), or following other creative pursuits. Holy Lack of Copious Free Time, Batman! While she’s always wished she had teleportation as her superpower, she suspects that super-speed would be much more practical because then she’d have time to finish up those steampunk costumes she’s also working on.
1 Comment
I absolutely love how Ahmed captures the feels of the dawn of the 1980s perfectly and uses it as a backdrop for this series. Also, the first issue deftly introduced the supernatural elements of the story that are now so exciting to read. I’m fully invested in Elena’s journey. This is a great end to the first arc and I hope this series continues for awhile.