Scott Snyder and Francis Manapul’s acclaimed science fiction series Clear has reached its penultimate issue. Clear‘s hardboiled protagonist Sam Dunes finds the truth about his dystopian world. The ComiXology Originals series reveals the full scope of what is shaping up to be the most pivotal issue of the story. Just as Clear has spent its previous four issues as a meditation on the reality we project about and around ourselves, its fifth issue showcases the dark cost of living with such a fabricated perspective on the world.
Picking up from the fourth issue’s cliffhanger ending, Clear #5 shows Sam sinking into a watery abyss. The intrepid gumshoe regains his senses in an underwater lion’s den. While under hot pursuit, Sam finally gets to the bottom of the mystery about the Veils — the projected perspectives on everyday life tailored to each of its respective user’s interests. Still reeling from the loss of Kendra, Sam is determined to get some answers. Clear #5 delivers these in full as he finally sees the real world for what it truly is.
Snyder has never been a writer that shies away from social commentary, particularly in his creator-owned stories. Clear‘s themes of digitally manufactured isolation and conformity reach an apex here. Where Snyder has often excelled in his storytelling, however, is by blending emotional confessions that delve into the heart of his various characters, often involving flashbacks that unearth the reasoning behind their motivation. There is a bleak, existential exploration of consequence and mortality on display as Clear reaches its penultimate chapter, and the creative team has begun to show their full hand concerning what the story has been about all along.
Manapul’s artwork remains consistently fantastic. Whereas the previous issues of Clear largely delivered atmospheric neo-noir, this issue blends the dark claustrophobia of its underwater setting and surreal visuals in its flashback sequences. That isn’t to say that Manapul doesn’t still inject some reality-bending sensibilities through the Veils and the possibilities of the projected perspective that they present. There are some surprise monster designs to keep the proceedings lively and engaging. However, there is an especially noticeable sense of melancholy that comes with this installment of the series as Manapul illustrates the immense cost of disguising the truth with a rose-tinted lens when it doesn’t fit an idealized worldview.
It will be interesting to see how Clear reads as a single, comprehensive read rather than in monthly periodicals. By design, this is a largely expository issue that finally pulls down the curtain from the world that Snyder and Manapul have created. Clear #5 is packed from cover to cover with its big reveal. Sam Dunes always felt he didn’t fit in a society that increasingly relied on technology to dress up the way people saw their surroundings, but in discovering the truth about the Veils, he learns just how dire the situation has become.
With its intriguing cyberpunk premise and commentary on how technology and increasingly individualized perspectives on the world set people apart and conceal societal issues, Clear has unveiled its true stakes and set the stage for its grand finale. What began as a simple murder mystery has quickly grown into a conspiracy that could unravel civilization as Sam knows it. With its hard science fiction sensibilities, Clear has been unlike any story that Snyder and Manapul have crafted before. In Clear‘s fifth issue, its puzzle pieces are starting to come together.
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