Zootopia #5 Review

 

Writer: Jeff Parker

Artist: Alessandro Ranaldi

Colorist: Dearbhla Kelly

Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry

Cover Artists: Trish Forstner, Craig Rousseau & Alessandro Ranaldi

Packager & Editor: Nate Cosby

Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment

Price: $4.99

Release Date: August 13, 2025

 

Someone in Zootopia is orchestrating a daring series of crimes. What started with a blown-up blimp has escalated to jewelry and art thefts. None of the thieves know who they are working for. They drop off the goods and receive a big box of money. ZPD Officers Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde have risked their lives, and their nostrils, to catch the anonymous, untraceable caller organizing these thefts. Can they find the master villain? Or will Chief Bogo give them another assignment? Let’s pop in our earbuds, crank up Gazelle’s latest single, leap into Zootopia #5, and see!

 

Story

When Nick gives Judy a six o’clock wakeup call, the rabbit figures it must be serious. It’s Saturday, and they’re supposed to be off duty. Instead, Judy learns that Nick has volunteered them for community outreach. Stunned, Judy happily accompanies him. Then she realizes that Nick has signed up to chaperone his former Junior Ranger troop. While the kids who terrorized him and drove him away have grown up, Nick has given up his cons and sworn to uphold law and order. In Jeff Parker’s story, Nick wants to see if the environment within the scouts has changed. Is this generation of children more accepting of predators?

 

In Zootopia #5, the young troop expresses no fear of Officer Nick Wilde. Miss Bev urges her junior rangers to welcome the rabbit and the fox. But Nick has made a crucial error. While the children are kind to him, he fails to gain their respect. Nick is crestfallen when Miss Bev announces that her plans differ from Nick's expectations. Still, Nick accompanies the troop. Judy encourages her partner to enjoy the day, whatever it brings.

 

Nick may not have found acceptance as a child. The fox may have missed out on a childhood filled with camping, fishing, and exploring the wonders of nature thanks to the rejection and trauma he suffered. Still, Nick’s concern for others pays off. He also demonstrates his ability to navigate tricky situations. In Zootopia #5, Judy is a competent officer who retains command even if she isn't in her element. Nick demonstrates the resilience that helped him succeed on the streets and now helps him serve the public as a member of the Zootopia Police Department.

 

Art

Judy’s eyes bulge and her ears rise as stuffed bunnies tumble off her bed. Nick looks confident as he gazes up through the windscreen at his partner leaning out the window of her small, upper-story apartment. He grits his teeth, and his eyes express fear, as he steers the bulky cruiser beneath the arbor built from logs. Like their car, Nick and Judy form silhouettes as the beaver addresses the attentive cat, hippo, bear, mouse, and kangaroo. Clad in fishing attire, Nick rests his pole on his shoulder. Judy looks ready for anything in her uniform. But as they prepare to meet the troops, Nick smiles confidently, while Judy grimaces.

 

Despite flashing his best smile, Nick must leap out of the way when the troop rushes past him. Dots occasionally swarm like bees around foreground figures as Alessandro Ranaldi focuses on characters further away. Characters also appear before banners punctuated with dots, like targets at a ZPD shooting range. Dearbhla Kelly lavishes a palette of bright, cheery colors on the vibrant plants and trees surrounding the nearby city. Light blue bubbles and currents flow along a strikingly blue river that glows with the sun's radiance in Zootopia #5.

 

Jeff Eckleberry fills white dialogue balloons with black uppercase letters that grow bold for intonation. The letters swell amid high-flying outrage, Nick awakening his partner, and the children's rejoicing. Balloons accompany faces in inset panels amid panoramic shots. Laughter rises when a character doesn’t watch his step, and sharp sounds fill the air when hunters achieve their objective. Thanks to Dynamite Entertainment for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Nick Wilde suffers disappointments when his plan to gain recognition backfires. The Pawpsicle-loving fox may not don a wingsuit and leap off a skyscraper in Zootopia #5. Still, he navigates a fast and furious pursuit with style and validates Judy Hopps’ faith in him.

 

Rating: 9.4/10

 

For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.