Fire Power by Kirkman & Samnee Volume 5

Fire Power #5

by Robert Kirkman, Chris Samnee (Artist)

The legends are true. The dragon is real. The world is in danger. All this and INTRODUCING: MASTER SHUN!

Collects FIRE POWER BY KIRKMAN & SAMNEE #19-24

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Comic Book

128 pages, Paperback

First published November 23, 2022

About the author

Robert Kirkman is an American comic book writer best known for his work on The Walking Dead, Invincible for Image Comics, as well as Ultimate X-Men and Marvel Zombies for Marvel Comics. He has also collaborated with Image Comics co-founder Todd McFarlane on the series Haunt. He is one of the five partners of Image Comics, and the only one of the five who was not one of the original co-founders of that publisher.

Robert Kirkman's first comic books were self-published under his own Funk-o-Tron label. Along with childhood friend Tony Moore, Kirkman created Battle Pope which was published in late 2001. Battle Pope ran for over 2 years along with other Funk-o-Tron published books such as InkPunks and Double Take.

In July of 2002, Robert's first work for another company began, with a 4-part SuperPatriot series for Image, along with Battle Pope backup story artist Cory Walker. Robert's creator-owned projects followed shortly thereafter, including Tech Jacket, Invincible and Walking Dead.

Reviews

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fire Power keeps on being a fun series, and while the story beats play it a bit safe, I did like the art A LOT in this one.

The dragon has risen, the world must come together to stop such a powerful beast. Except this thing is nearly unbeatable, maybe even for the mighty power of FIRE. This leaves Owen in a tough spot where he must face what he might not be able to stop while protecting his family. A good amount of fights that look great mixed with some touching moments, give us another really solid volume.

[Whitney (The Cover Collector) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got to give them props for attempting to go in this direction. There a few mishaps and tons of cliches but it works.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

So now they're fighting a dragon . . . and I just don't care.

An aside: Was this originally a rejected Shang-Chi vs. Fin Fang Foom pitch for Marvel?

I'm going to set this series aside now. If I hear it reaches a conclusion at some point in the future, I might return to see how it turns out, but mostly to catch up on the relationship bits between the members of the Johnson family. The supernatural martial arts action does nothing for me.

[Oscar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the art the story not so much.

[Frédéric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Owen and his friends gather their strength for what appears to be the final battle... which will take place in the next volume.
But rest assured, dear reader, this volume will give you your fill of epic battle scenes and some heartfelt moments.
Kirkman avoids the pitfall of a weak middle section with this volume. We might have expected a simple gathering of forces and decision-making, but he picks up the pace and gives us what we've been waiting for, while saving one last trick up his sleeve for the conclusion.
I have to admit, it's well played.

[Luke Costin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m pretty sure I say this every volume, but man Samnee’s art is great.

[Cale · Rating 4 out of 5]

So yeah, stakes are raised here. After the events of the previous volume, Owen and his cohorts are on the back foot as the true antagonists are revealed to not just them but the world. The book focuses on collecting allies and then an absolutely massive battle that plays out just about how you would expect for a Kirkman story; that is to say a variety of peaks and troughs, and a final resolution that doesn't really resolve anything. All of this is brought into beautiful kinetic panels by Samnee, although again he's running into a number of similar looking characters who can be hard to distinguish in the heat of battle (which is most of the book). But this book flies by, with some of the most impressive action sequences in the series, and even a little bit of character development going on in the margins. It has its moments of levity, but it is very much pedal-to-the-metal action for the majority of the book.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Everyone who has appeared in the Fire Power series thus far, plus some other new "old masters" fight the dragon that arose at the end of the previous volume. It's basically a truncated "gathering of the heroes," followed by an extended battle scene.

If you're into that sort of thing, I suppose this volume might satisfy. What is the dragon, where did it come from, how can it be defeated - such questions fall by the wayside in favor of big punches and explosions. Chris Samnee's art still rocks, but a Fire Power series that was at first gloriously decompressed has shifted gears and is now far, far too compressed. For example, where did all these old masters come from? And why should I care about them? This volume could easily have been two.

My excitement for this series seems to be dwindling with each passing volume. Sad, sad, sad.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best volume yet. It’s. SAMNEE. Baby.

[Myles Gerber · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the sake of brevity I will simply say that this book does everything the last one did and continues to be awesome. I really like this series and it has to be some of my favourite work from Kirkman.

[Andrew Sorrentino · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just about everybody versus the dragon. Lots of splash pages and two-page spreads allow the art to shine in this volume. The story has plenty of martial arts tropes. And plenty of monster tropes.

[Odo · Rating 5 out of 5]

9.5/10

[Dair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Art continues to be worth it. The story is fine.

[Bruno Franco Netto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fire Power continues to be exceptional. When I started reading this series I didn't have high expectations, I was just expecting another super-hero series. However, this is Robert Kirkman we're talking about here, and the truth is all of his series are exceptional. This is not an exception. This is a brilliant take on the martial arts genre by a true master of comics. Volume 5 sets the stage for the last volume of the series, and I really cannot wait to read it sometime this Spring when it comes out!

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collects issues #19-24 and focuses on the battle against the Snake Clan and the dragon. Lots of big action interspersed with character moments and some humor. Chris Samnee's art continues to be amazing. It's a great series that you should read from the start. I look forward to the next volume, whenever we get it.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another very solid volume, as we have Samnee drawing the hell out of that giant dragon battle. Not much in the way of dialogue, but that's what you can appreciate about the series, it's straightforward

[Rob Schamberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most perfect things being made today. Samnee is drawing the bejeezus out of this book!

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy this series quite a bit, but it does feel like each issue is a little too light on story. This arc has Owen taking on the greatest threat yet...a dragon! Samnee's artwork is the main appeal here, with action depicted on tremendous scale. Matt Wilson's colors are also incredible, building nice vibrant contrasts across the panels and making for very visually appealing pages. This isn't a comic that will change your life, but it's very entertaining and a nice, breezy reading experience. Sometimes we all just need comics like these in our lives.

[Craig · Rating 2 out of 5]

Owen and Master Wei Lun gather as many masters as possible to fight the dragon which was unleashed in the last volume. This is getting kind of dull, which is a weird thing to say about such an action-packed series. But nothing much really changes from one volume to the next. The focus seems to be on giant fights, many of them chronicled over two-page spreads. There's just so much sameness from one volume to the next. The art, that so many claim to love, is really little more than rudimentary. It does the job, but that's about it...

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kirkman & Samnee's kung-fu, magical epic continues and this was an insane five issue fight. While a lightning quick read this was incredibly entertaining. After the staggering cliffhanger last volume the forces get marshaled and it gets pretty wild. I really enjoyed the fight scene and it didn't go exactly as expected. The Johnson family is very likeable but maybe too good if that makes sense. The book ends on another cliffhanger and I can't wait for the next one. Overall, just entertaining as hell.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our family now has to fight a freaking dragon that takes over Hong Kong. This gets really epic with this huge massive dragon and these terrific battle scenes. Owen recruits the world's kung fu masters to help take down the bad guys. I thought this series may be done but they are just taking a break. Samnee is working on a massive issue #25. I really dig how thy story is often told more through Samnee's art instead of telling us. After all comics are a visual medium.

[Zachary Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chris Samnee channeling his inner Godzilla with this volume. I can’t say enough how enjoyable the art is in this series. This stays action packed and just fun. Looking forward to seeing if Kirkman can stick the landing in the final volume.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epic destruction. Fire power versus a fire dragon doesn't make sense but I guess it is fantasy. Very action packed and fast paced.

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Owen gathers the Masters and faces the dragon and Master Shaw.

[Albie · Rating 3 out of 5]

came here for the art though it looks a little bit rushed

[Victor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fire Power vol 5 turning into a kaiju book wasn't on my bingo card. another bad ass arc. been loving this series. already have vol 6 lined up.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as impactful as the first few volumes but still a solid read.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous art, the story in this volume is lighter as it focuses heavily on action throughout. Still a fun entry in the series!