In this review of White Sky #5, Walter’s time may have come. Is Violet ready to be alone?
White Sky #5
Writer: William Harms
Art and Main Cover: Jean Paul Mavinga
Variant Covers: Eliza Ivanova, Jean Paul Mavinga
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: August 5, 2026
This review contains spoilers
In Pleasanton, David is facing some of the ghosts. They keep insisting that he join them. As he asks why they do what they do…it’s hunger for souls. They bring up the fact that his late wife Linda was one of them.
Meanwhile, Violet has her gun trained on Errol, who explains that he wants Walter to live, and that he attracts the ghosts. Him dying would make it worse.
Speaking of the ghosts, they’re making their way in, and Violet gets out the salt. She and Errol compare their first ghost encounters. For him, it was an old coworker who’d died in an accident. And hers was her mother who’d died of cancer.
Violet asks about her dad, and is told that he’s probably in Utah. She also realizes that the radio message was likely a trap intended to gain free labor for the Salt Flats.
During the ghost attack, Violet shoots Errol, which Walter tells her was the right decision; he’d have killed her eventually. Walter, on his last legs, informs Violet that he used to be a priest. He’d tried to protect as many as he could, but had been overwhelmed. And then Lewis found him. He’d sent out psychic messages, but Violet was the only one to truly respond to him.
He knows he’s not long for this world as the ghosts close in, so he tells Violet where to go, instructs her to hold onto any and all love in her heart, and gives her his blessing before she leaves.
At some degree of peace, Walter allows the ghosts to take him.
This one ghost that’s come up a few times looks a bit like Walter…seeing them in close proximity makes me wonder if it’s his son, waiting for him to join the rest of the spirits. It’s already shown that those spirits that leave the biggest impact are the ones people cared about in life. For Errol, it was a coworker everyone liked. Violet and David had Linda.
Also, the visuals for when the ghosts claim Walter as part of their number? Probably some of my favorite in this series so far. He’s claimed by a spectral, tentacled creature that feels like a close cousin to something out of Lovecraft. It’s both horrific and, honestly, quite beautiful, rendered in tones of blue. Walter may end up with an eternal case of the munchies after death, but the way his face is drawn during his death. He knows he’s done running. He’s managed to help at least one person before he goes. And he’s free of Lewis. And so…peace.
Really, the visuals for that entire ghost encounter at the end are gorgeous. It looks like one of the more dangerous spirits is there, marked by flames as opposed to the usual blue tones of the rest of them. Between them and Violet, Errol was probably screwed, anyway.
Had a feeling that Violet wouldn’t be too pleased at Errol trying to kill her. I mean, “Hey, yeah, that’s fair” feels like kind of an eyebrow-raising reaction to that information. Errol has a reaction similar to that, himself, in this issue, while she has her gun pointed at him. Of course, he makes no claims to being a rational or good person. He’s an example of what the apocalypse can do to a person.
The encounter between David and the ghosts is a bit chilling, and I appreciate that. They can carry on a conversation with a living human, so there’s still some level of reason to them. On the other hand, they’re driven by hunger and make no claims otherwise, which gives them a sort of primal bent. A primal bent with full awareness of what they are. And the intention of bringing as many of the living to their side as possible.
And now, Violet is on her own. She may be old enough to have a driver’s license, but she’s still young. She’s still facing a ghostpocalypse. She doesn’t have a limitless supply of salt on her. So it’ll be interesting to see where things go with her.
Final Thoughts
Walter dances on that line between Life and Death in White Sky #5, and it comes in with some gorgeous visuals. It’s a great installment, and a definite turning point for the series.
