As Strikman steadily follows the clues, we gradually learn that whatever is going on is huge. Does Strikman have time to figure everything out? Find out in Lotus Land #5 from BOOM! Studios.
LOTUS LAND #5
Writer: Darcy Van Poelgeest
Artist: Caio Filipe
Colorist: Patricio Delpeche
Letterer: Nate Piekos of Blambot
Editor: Allyson Gronowitz
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: March 19, 2024
Previously in Lotus Land: Strikman now has the name of the girl – Shelly Waters, who was raised at the same facility that he was. Trying to find her, Strikman visits The Twin, who stuns him. Strikman ends up on a boat with Melina Ze, who takes him to a nearby island. This island is cut off from the mainland, but Shelly used to live there. She is now gone, but Strikman finds a bunch of letters. Strikman accuses Ze of taking her in for money. Or handing her over to the police. Meanwhile, Ethan makes his way to Tabby’s place.
PREDATOR AND PREY
Shelly’s letters had an address, and as Lotus Land #5 opens, Wickstrom and Strikman locate it at a solar farm outside of the city. Strikman knocks on the door. A man outside asks if he can help. He confirms this is the Waters residence. Strikman asks about Shelly and discovers that she went off to school and, six weeks later, her parents died in an accident.
The man is also a birder and talks about an Eleonora’s falcon in the neighborhood. He talks about how it traps smaller birds for food and has ways of trapping them and storing them for later. He shows Strikman the falcon’s nest and allows him to use his binoculars. Strikman sees the bird. He also sees the envelope tucked in its nest.
Strikman wonders why Shelly was writing to her parents when they were both dead. He touches base with Wickstrom, and she tells him this is as much as she can do to help, especially considering that he is still a prime suspect.
Tabby is with Ethan, but she is uncomfortable and guilty. She decides she owes him an explanation. She had hoped things would go back to normal after he was enrolled in the program. Then she notices his wounded hands. He tells her it was just an accident. She touches his hands and is surprised at how warm they are.
Things are busy back at the police station. One of the detectives tells Wickstrom there was another attempted breach at Evermore. The woman did not get close to getting inside but did go berserk and tried to grab an officer’s firearm. And the Chief is looking for Wickstrom.
Strikman returns to the underground facility and wonders about Shelly’s letters. Those letters make her seem like a typical teen. They’re poetic, and they touch a chord with Strikman and bring back memories of what it was like to grow up here. He thinks more about the program and wonders if he and the others ever really were children or were they only subjects in an experiment.
The Chief confronts Wickstrom about shutting off her tracker. Wickstrom claims she was gathering evidence and confronts the Chief in turn, claiming she knows full well that Strikman did not kill Lundi or Parker. Wickstrom knows there is something going on. The Chief demands her badge and her weapon. When she then talks about the community sacrificing a few to save the many, Wickstrom realizes that she knew all along. The Chief shoots her.
Strikman returns to Heister’s place. He realizes he is too late to stop him and is far too late for any of the missing children. He fights his way in, using all his strength, determined to reach Heister.
CHILDHOOD LOST
The art of Lotus Land #5 brings the world to life, and even outside the city, there is a sense of how oppressive it is. The solar farm design is interesting, and in contrast to the dark and often rainy city, it looks arid and barren except for the crowded solar collectors. The Waters house is a cross between a classic farmhouse and a house designed from modern, organic forms. It is interesting to find a birder here in this place that looks inhospitable to wildlife, but I like how that is also a callback to the first issue.
Wickstrom is the cop who decides to follow the truth. She returns to the police station, which is futuristic, yet still somehow worn down, not to mention chaotic. I like that there are drones overhead, and that detectives work with projected 3-D images. Wickstrom’s encounter with the Chief is tense, and it is not surprising that she is asked to turn over her badge and her weapon. We know that is what happens with renegade cops. What is surprising is how fast the Chief shoots her anyway. Whatever is going on, whoever is involved has deep connections.
BOTTOM LINE: A MYSTERY YEARS IN THE MAKING
Despite its quiet start, Lotus Land #5 feels like Strikman is getting closer to figuring things out and that whatever is going on, there is not much time left.
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Lotus Land #5
Strikman is closer to a solution, but time is of the essence!
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Writing8
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Art8
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Coloring8
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.