Big Trouble in Little China: Volume 5 (2017)

Big Trouble in Little Heaven (2017)

Author: Fred Van Lente |  Illustrator: Dan McDaid |  Page Count: 112

"Not in the face!! That's the money-maker!!!"

I felt that Volume 4 had reignited the BTiLC series, but I feel also that Volume 5 pisses on it again, even though both collections are written by the same author.

It places Jack in a peculiar environment that's chock-full of supernatural beings, namely the Kunlun Casino as it hosts Source Con, a sorcerers convention, most of whom are egotistical a-holes. But Jack's not braving it alone, he has Wang's daughter Winona to aid him. Oh, and Wang's there, too, but he's currently an emotional mess and seemingly about as useless as tits on a bull.

Much of the book is taken up by a lengthy poker game, and if you don't know how to play poker (specifically Texas Hold 'Em) it teaches you. As a fan of the game I enjoyed the setting, but a lot of the dialogue therein seems like little more than word-count boosting filler.

The dangerous game and the book's subplots do eventually bear fruit, but with so many other (potentially great) books on my to-read-list for this year it was pure stubbornness and a desire to complete the series that enabled me to reach that point in the story.

The ending's big event was unexpected, so kudos to Author Fred Van Lente for that, but at the same time it made sense, considering what has gone before.

The artwork is a heck of a lot better than I could ever do, but it has problems. Character likenesses are slight and proportions are weird; e.g. Jack's hulking tree-truck arms physique is ridiculous. Overall it's inconsistent, sometimes great but sometimes not. It feels rushed, so my guess is that Illustrator Dan McDaid was either pushed for time or overstretching himself. On a side note, if he can perfect human proportions he might be a good fit for a Vertigo title someday.

Volume 5 collects together Big Trouble in Little China issues 17-20.

Individual covers. Click for FULL size: