Nerds That Geek Comic Book Review: ‘Bubba Ho-Tep and the Cosmic Blood-Suckers’ #5

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

​I have to admit to you, dear reader, that this is a review that I outright struggled with from the get-go. To the point where I more or less stared at the screen for a good long time before putting any words to digital paper because sometimes, I find it difficult to get started on a particular piece, when said piece involves bidding farewell to a story that brought me incredible joy. Because putting my thoughts together in print, only adds to the finality of what I’ve just experienced and while in a way that can be cathartic, when the story is truly something magical, seeing it come to an end is tough, since you know that the joy that said story brings will no longer be waiting for you just over the horizon.
 
But at the same time, despite the difficulties that lie in saying farewell to a tale, it is equally as important for us to talk about the ending, and outright celebrate it, when it is good. Because a top-notch finale is hard to come by in the creative world and talking it up only reinforces the quality of the story as a whole and hopefully, it motivates others to embark upon the journey you’ve traversed and experience the joy you did and well, that’s what we are here to discuss today, an incredible ending, one that quite frankly left me with a grand smile on my face when all is said and done because the only proper way to refer to Issue #5 of Bubba Ho-Tep and the Cosmic Blood-Suckers is to call it a masterpiece.
 
For this grand finale to the King’s fight with monsters from another dimension delivered in just about every single way imaginable. After all, it had heart, since our characters actually took the time to mourn the now deceased Jack and acknowledge the hurt that comes about when someone that matters goes missing in our lives and thankfully, our heroes used that pain in the right kind of way since the King and Jenny used their quiet time to come up with a plan on how to defeat the Grand Poobah of monsters, and in the most heroic of fashion, Elvis and Jenny put their lives on the line to silence this dimension of evil once and for all and man, it really doesn’t get more satisfying than that.
 
But believe it or not, this particular issue had more to offer than merely wrapping up this nightmare with a neat and sticky little bow. Because the coda for this tale, did a magnificent job of tying itself to the titular first issue of this series, which if you will recall…set the tone for this series by recreating the magic that Bruce Campbell and Don Coscarelli brought to life in 2002’s Bubba Ho-Tep and that matters because, the connective tissue present in the final pages of this issue is downright perfect and satisfying and it leaves the reader with a little mist in their eyes since they know what those final images mean and really when all is said and done, this is an outright perfect ending through and through.
 
Which, much of the credit there goes to writer Josh Jabcuga, whose care and passion for properly adapting Joe R. Lansdale’s magnificent story is what made this series so immersive and difficult to put down and well, while I am sorry and sad to see this saga comes to its close, I am truly in awe of how damn good this finale turned out to be because perfect endings are no easy task for any writer and Josh accomplished such a feat in the smoothest of fashion. But all celebration of the story aside, this is the end my nerdy friends, and Elvis has indeed left the building and well, all that is left to do, is express my heartfelt thanks to everyone involved with this beautiful project.
 
So, on that note, thank you Joe Lansdale, for dreaming up an Elvis Presley that was all about TCB when it comes to the creepy crawlies that lurk in the shadows. Also, many thanks to Josh Jabcuga for putting together the finest adaptation I’ve ever read and for being so gracious toward myself and Nerds That Geek, because it is quite the honor to have signed copies from this series and a blurb of our reviews featured on the trade paperback listing for this comic on Amazon, and I cannot thank Josh enough for that. Plus, I have to thank artists Tadd Galusha and Horacio Domingues for providing us with a feast for the eyes and might I add Mister Domingues’ work on this issue was outright outstanding since it was filled to the brim with fascinating details and surprises.
 
And many thanks to colorist Ryan Hill, who helped bring that 1970’s vibe to life and he is equally as integral to the success of this series and last but certainly not least, my thanks go to IDW for publishing this series and giving it a voice. So, now that this series has come to a close, I suppose the only way to ease the proverbial sting of its farewell is to read it all again in one sitting, and bask in the wonder and the glory of Elvis Presley’s secret career and how he made everything evil in this world and the next, aware of the fact, that you don’t mess with humanity, or the King…

---