Issue: Salem’s Daughter #5
Release Date: August 25, 2010
Writers: Ralph Tedesco, Raven Gregory
Artist: Roberto Viacava, Caio Reis
Cover A: Rob Liefeld
Cover B: David Seidman
Publisher: Zenescope Entertainment
Zenescope Entertainment’s Salem’s Daughter #5 concludes the series’s two-part Jersey Devil storyline. Anna and Braden are still searching for the deadly creature that lives in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, but as the trail grows warmer they begin to realize that something may be hunting them, as well.
The Devil is a truly monstrous being that feeds on the flesh and blood of humans and animals alike. Salem’s Daughter #5 imagines the Devil as a cross between a werewolf, a gargoyle and a giant bat, with pointed ears, scaled shoulders and long, razor-sharp talons. It’s difficult to imagine that any human could destroy such a creature, but if there is someone who can defeat the Leeds Devil, as Braden calls the creature, it’s the blonde-haired beauty Anna, who seems to have some surprising supernatural powers.
Salem’s Daughter #5 touches upon some very dark issues, the most surprising one being domestic violence. While searching for the Jersey Devil, Anna happens upon a missing boy named Lucas, a boy that the local townspeople believe to be dead. Somehow, Lucas has survived hiding in a cave in the woods, too afraid to go home because his stepfather, Samuel, beats him and his mother. Although this abuse is only a single, small component of this two-issue storyline, it’s a poignant one that illustrates that no evil deed goes unpunished.
This issue of Salem’s Daughter is a refreshing change from the usually female-dominated comics that Zenescope Entertainment tends to publish. Although the series is heavy on female characters — drawn in the usual Zenescope style — this particular issue features a handful of male characters, including Braden, Lucas, Lucas’s stepfather, Samuel, and his men. Also, given the issue’s “Western” setting, Salem’s Daughter #5 focuses more on male responsibility than some of Zenescope’s other series.
Like many comic book series, Salem’s Daughter is much easier to understand if you read the back issues first, especially this issue, since it is the conclusion of a two-part subplot in the Salem’s Daughter series. Anna, one of the protagonists, has caught the attention of one of the series’s main characters, and reading previous issues of the series will give readers important context.
For more information on Salem’s Daughter #5, visit Zenescope Entertainment’s official website, where you can purchase this issue and previous issues of the series as well.
Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars
