With this fifth and final issue, the Goliath Trap storyline finally comes full circle (Note: This will be the only pun…I promise!).  To recap, oh so briefly, this issue finds our heroes battling the malicious Y, a former CIA assassain hell bent on snuffing out The Circle while also delivering a nuclear missle on a long rumored but very real train called the Goliath. 

While the first issue was but a whimper, each issue in this series has markedly improved with the art becoming cleaner and tighter and the writing taking the readers from one crazy scenario to the other.  It’s the kind of thing that makes James Bond movies so great.  It may seem formulaic and yes, there may be some plot holes, but the journey to the end is really where the fun lies.  This series feels like that.  It could even be called a Queen & Country-lite.  It’s got all of the political intrigue and the spy action, but it’s not as complex a journey.

And this issue proves just what a valid series this is.  I had a blast reading it, and I’m sure my fellow readers, who have followed the series, will agree.  It kicked ass.  This issue was packed to the gills with action.  It actually had very few words, but it packed a punch regardless, and like any story, it’s nice to see how everything plays out in the end.

Since the issue was mostly silent, I have to give credit to Ian Hosfeld’s pencils.  This man draws a simply gorgeous book.  Flip the book open to the first two page spread and tell me that it isn’t one of the best panels you’ve seen in a while.  His style is slightly cartoony, but each character has their own distinct look and weight, which makes them more realistic.  And the action is tense.  The panels are big, giving the reader so much eye candy with each punch and gun shot.  It really makes you feel like you’re immersed in the middle of an action movie.  I really do hope to see more of his work, especially if someone named Rucka called him and talked to him about a certain book with Q’s and C’s.

So, here’s the bad news:  the book has been canceled.  After the last panel, which lays out some cool stuff for the next storyline finished, there’s a letter from Brian Reed stating that the book won’t continue beyond this issue.  Maybe it will, maybe it won’t, but for the coming future it’s dead.  Which really sucks, because I really feel like these two creators were really on the verge of something special.  But, when a book doesn’t sell, it doesn’t sell. 

If you’re a fan of spy books, The Losers in particular, this book is up your alley.  Check out the trade when it comes out.  Maybe those sales will inspire Image to bring these guys back to finish out what they started.  I know I’ll be watching, and waiting, for more.