Conspiracy #5 (Zenescope)
Do they live among us? Are we only truly serving our Reptilian overlords? Has the human race already given up our freedom to lizard humanoids that control our society? Over 12 million people in the U.S. alone believe that lizard people live among us. They can’t all be wrong can they? Find out the truth here!
Writer: Hans Rodionoff & Joe Brusha
Artwork: J.G. Miranda
Colors: Leonardo Paciarotti
Letters: Taylor Esposito (of Ghost Glyph Studios)
Editor: Terry Kavanagh
Production & Design: Christopher Cote & Ashley Vanacore
Review by Lily The Intern!
Conspiracy #5: Lizard People is one of the latest comics in Zenescope’s outrageous Conspiracy series. Is most of Earth’s population blissfully unaware that they are living among lizard people quickly gaining power, moving closer to total world domination? Or are these just the theories of a strange rambling man? Has the man who knows the truth about the lizard people be able to survive and save everyone from the doom that lurks in the planet’s near future? As someone who has spent time debunking and researching conspiracy theories, this conspiracy thriller was a fun read. Sometimes, it is nice to take a break from the realities of day to day life and read a comic that is really over the top, but still leaves plenty of twists and turns that the reader will not see coming. I am new to the series and have not had the chance to enjoy many other comics from Zenescope, but I am looking forward to what awaits fans of the series!
Zenescope has made a reputation for themselves by creating out of the box comics with outlandish ideas, and this series falls seamlessly into this category. The work of writers Hans Rodionoff and Joe Brusha went hand in hand with the work of artist J.G Miranda and the rest of the Zenescope team. The writing is creative, original, and will keep any audience on the edge of their seats. Right up to the very end Conspiracy #5 kept me on my toes and left me guessing, leaving me completely shocked. The work of this creatively-minded team is truly inspiring and has encouraged me to recommend this comic to several different fellow geeks in the pop culture community. This includes returning Zenescope fans and some who enjoy the genere, but had not heard of the series yet. From former owner of a comic shop to a fellow conspiracy debunker, this comic appeals to a variety of different readers of all ages. Sometimes it is quite refreshing to step back from the reality of the theories and read something that is the utter opposite: a comic filled with the idea of secret organizations and world domination, leaving it all up to a single human man to save the world.
Often while attending comic conventions and going to comic shops, I meet with teens and other comic enthusiasts to discuss and buy new comics. Recently, at the last convention I traveled to, Wisconsin Comic Con, I discovered that currently a lot of teenagers are invested the supervillian genre. A lot of the comics that were from the same genre as the series and shared a lot of the same ideas, some of the attendees even had read the series and were returning readers. It was fascinating and exciting to get to learn what other people are enthralled in, and to learn that I am not alone in my obsession of these comics. From my observations, it appears clear to me that there is a very high demand for these comics and others in its supervillain genre, I have a very good feeling that this is going to another one of Zenescope’s hits.
As always, one of the elements that I inspect and prioritize in any comic I read is the art. A lot of people, including both those who invest most of their time to the pop culture and those who do not, are unaware of the work, time and talent that it takes to create the art that makes a comic come to life. Coming from someone who will soon be trying to take on the colossal task of creating a comic with fellow writers and idea-makers, it is not an easy feat to create something that makes sense and keeps the reader entertained. J.G Miranda’s work in Conspiracy #5: Lizard People is extremely admirable and is one of the reasons that I am so fascinated in this category of comics. The dramatic colors and different brushstrokes convey the riveting nature of the story. Unlike other books with a similarly bold storyline and coinciding art, this does not jump all over the story. I often have a hard time keeping an interest in longer comics when the story is too full or jumps around too much. This was a perfect combination of everything I enjoy from a comic. As I dive deeper into the ever evolving world of comics, I learn more about my own style and I discovered that every single creator has their own interpretations and unique style. This series really helped me to discover that. I cannot get over the art and the crazy story, and as a conspiracy lover it is was not hard to fall in love with it. Conspiracy #5 is definitely one of my favorite creations from Zenescope Entertainment so far, and judging from just the few people that I talked to about this I have no doubt that this is going to be a hit.
