BROKEN SOULS BALLAD #3 – Review

BROKEN SOULS BALLAD #3, available from Scout Comics on September 22nd, 2021, Tom tries to move on with his life by enjoying the last bits of Summer and going on a date with his crush. Unfortunately, a monster comes a calling.

The Details

• Written By: Massimo Rosi
• Art By: Ludovica Ceregatti
• Colors By: Ludovica Ceregatti
• Letters By: Ludovica Ceregatti
• Cover Art By: Ludovica Ceregatti
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: September 22, 2021

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Was It Good?

It was delightfully gross.

I’ve praised this series for having the guts (no pun intended) for going where more established properties like the X-Men mutants fear to tread. This issue confirms that praise is justified. We finally get some mutant-on-mutant fisticuffs and it’s as gnarly and brutal as you could imagine for teens with unique abilities based on body horror.

To be fair, the issue doesn’t move the plot forward by much. The writing barely moves the puzzle pieces around, but what readers do get is a gut-punch of character development. You get a good look at what the characters can do when they let loose with their abilities, and you develop a true appreciation for just how dangerous they are.

Let’s be clear. Alluding to the X-Men doesn’t in any way mean this is a superhero comic. It’s not. The closest approximation would be a property like Firestarter or Scanners. When you see here how dangerous and violent the abilities can make these teens, you clearly see a path where nefarious groups would want to use them as deadly weapons. It’s an excellent example of showing you the path rather than telling you about the path.

Of course, this story can only work if the art lives up to the story. Indeed, it does. Ceregatti‘s style keeps the teens (in human form) approachable and relatable as kids just trying to live their life. But when the claws/fangs/tentacles come out, you can’t help but want to reach for the nearest flamethrower.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

Before weird tentacles start popping out of your chest, catch up on the events of this series with our BROKEN SOULS BALLAD #2 review.

We begin with Tom (the one with blood blisters that sprout into tentacles) going for a bike ride down to the local shopping center to meet up with friends. They try to talk about Tom’s “outburst” at the beach, but he’s completely at a loss to explain what’s happened to him.

His friends eventually egg Tom to go to the comic shop next door to talk to Pris, Tom’s crush. After a surprisingly sweet exchange between Tom and Pris, it appears the feeling is mutual and the two make plans to go on a date the next evening.

The following evening, Tom’s parents leave Tom and his sister alone for a date night. As Tom prepares to leave to go on his own date, there’s a sudden crash at the front door. The teen with the purple dog monster growing out of his back (one down point of this series is the sparse use of character names) has arrived. The purple dog monster wants Tom to suffer as much as he has, and the two spill out onto the yard as they fight with their abilities in full bloom.

We conclude the issue with Tom getting the short end of the fight… at first, a neighbor getting in the way, and a visit to a hospital room with a teen possessing a very aggressive appetite.

Final Thoughts

BROKEN SOULS BALLAD #3 gives the phrase “paint the town red” a completely different meaning when Tom’s date plans don’t go as planned. The story of teens undergoing a horrific metamorphosis is exceptionally relatable and “human”. And the art captures the body horror elements perfectly.

Score: 9/10