Elementals #5
Published and © by Comico, December 1985
Title: “Riders on the Storm”
Synopsis: Fathom returns to Nacht Island with force to free the Elementals and face a final showdown with Saker.
Writer (plot): Bill Willingham
Writer (script): Jack Herman
Penciler: Willingham
Inker: Rankin
Review: Elementals wraps up its first story arc, “The Natural Order,” right as the Bronze Age comes to a close. It’s fitting, as the series stands side by side with the top team books of the era – X-Men, New Teen Titans and the Legion – while also sharing the grounded-in-the-real-world tone of Copper Age books like Watchmen. Bill Willingham’s creation – long out of print due to ownership entanglements – serves as a well-executed and entertaining missing link between two ages. It’s overdue for a historical reconsideration – and, based the first five issues (see reviews), should hold up quite well.
Grade: A-
Second opinion: “Willingham delivers a rousing finale to this multipart epic.” – R.A. Jones, Amazing Heroes #85, Dec. 15, 1985
Cool factor: How many series manage a series defining arc right out of the gate?
Not-so-cool factor: It’s a shame Bill Willingham’s run can’t be released in an omnibus edition.
Character quotable: “At least we tried … at least someone tried … to restore the natural order.” – Vortex, reflective
Editor’s note: This review was written Sept. 9, 2025.
