Before Watchmen: Minutemen # 5 Review
Minutemen #5 rolls in and Hollis recounts the Minutemen's highest highs as well as some of their lowest lows.
Comic: Minutemen #5
Written By: Darwyn Cooke
Pencils By: Darwyn Cooke
Publisher: DC Comics
Release Date: OUT NOW IN STORES & DIGITAL DOWNLOAD (VIA COMIXOLOGY)
rating: 3.5
The Before Watchmen run now seems to be all over the place. Weeks off, multiple titles in a week and even out of the established order we all got used to. The last week or so has also been quite drab, so its good to see Darwyn Cookes Minutemen is still as solid as ever and this slice of Hollis Masons Under the Hood tales of yesteryear continue to shine.
Starting with Hollis pouring over Ursulas tapes chronicling her investigations into the missing children the city has forgotten, we get a quick catch up with our Minutemen before getting underway. Dollar Bill is dead, the team isnt quite as glamorous as it once was and Sally Jupiter and Eddie Blake seems to be getting on very well behind closed doors. We even get to meet a little Laurie to show the outcome of their secret affairs. This issue is in many ways a standalone story about a mission the Minutemen took on that no one every knew about. A mission that could have been very destructive for New York and it's wonderfully told. There's post war tension with the Japanese, a terrorist plot and Hollis finally getting to recount the Minutemen's finest hours. This is a very well paced comic, there's plenty of costumed heroes at work and there's a nice twist in the tale that leads to a semi heartbreaking fallout for Hollis. 
After that we begin to see the fall of the minutemen taking place. Standing in front of congress justifying their costumed antics, the Golden Age truly comes to an end. However the lead in to the final isues comes when Hollis gets word of another lost child and follows a lead that seems to reveal the story behind the citys dark underbelly. It feels as if the next and final issue may hold a payoff that could very well rock the Minutemen world and the world of Watchmen and put a dramatic end to this miniseries. I am very keen on seeing how Cooke wraps all of this up. Minutemen has grown into something very enjoyable over these five issues and spending all of this time with Hollis Mason has been a good way of delving into the pages of Under the Hood in wonderful ways. Anyway, until next issue (whenever it arrives) where Ill wrap up my opinions for Minutemen as a whole series, please leave any predictions on where you think this might be going below and well see who gets it right. 
Before Watchmen: Week 23 Overview
