Uber vol. 5

My initial thought regarding this volume was that Kieron Gillen had decided to do away with the delicate balance of terror that has defined his series so far.  Much of the drama from “Uber” has come from seeing both sides take shots at each other, with neither ever quite gaining the upper hand.  That changes here as Hitler’s “Great Burn” plan is enacted and the German Uber forces march across Europe, leaving nothing but warped and charred ruins in their wake.  It’s due to this that the British forces finally decide to send their monstrous Battleship-class Uber, the H.M.H. Churchill, into combat.  Though she appears to be neigh well indestructible, this woman has had little experience in actual combat.  She’s also afraid of heights.  Meanwhile, the Russians are trying to find ways to create their own Battleship so they can finally be done with the obstinate Mariya, the Japanese make their last stand at Okinawa, and the Americans continue to train their own Battleships.  Which is good for them because the war is coming their way whether they want it to or not.

To say that things go badly for the British here is something of an understatement.  The delicate balance of  terror is done away with here as the volume ends with the momentum firmly on the side of the Germans.  I was disappointed to see this, until I realized what this meant for the overall narrative.  Unless Gillen pulls out a twist for the next volume, we’re heading into the endgame now.  So it’s only natural that things will have reached their lowest ebb for the Allied forces.  Which will lead them to turn things around, but not without some pain, and eventually put an end to the German threat.  Personally, I’m hoping that either Vernon or Freddie, the two African-American Battleships, give that smug racist Siegfried the ass-whipping he has deserved since the start of the series.  This is what I’m expecting from the next volume, but Gillen doesn’t really deal in predictability with his stories.  I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next, even if I’m not sure I’m actually going to like it.