DAHLIA IN THE DARK #3 – Comic Review

DAHLIA IN THE DARK #3, from Mad Cave Studios on February 15th, 2023, turns Donny Dahlia’s delivery job into a race to stay alive. Can Donny get Maya to safety before it’s too late?

The Details

• Written by: Joe Corallo
• Art by: Andrea Milana
• Colors by: Andrea Milana
• Letters by: Micah Myers
• Cover art by: Andrea Milana (cover A)
• Comic Rating: Mature
• Cover price: $3.99
• Release date: February 15, 2023

Is It Good?

DAHLIA IN THE DARK #3 is another excellent entry in the imaginative urban fantasy/crime drama mashup from Joe Corallo. This issue fills in considerably more backstory on Donny Dahlia’s past and escalates the stakes as all forces interested in Maya close in.

When last we left Donny, Molly, and Maya, they were trapped in a roadside pit stop standoff with the authorities and a bounty hunter. Now, the standoff gets bloody, and the ensuing chaos sends the traveling trio in different directions.

Joe Corallo’s script effortlessly interweaves the fantastical elements (harpies, faeries, mages, and more) into a gritty crime thriller, building a world that’s decidedly different from our own but makes sense for what it is. In other words, you believe the magic, and you can picture how regular, everyday people would work, live, and react the way we would in the same situation. “Grounded magic” isn’t a phrase you here often, but it’s a phrase that applies to this issue, making for a fascinating read.

That said, the minor down point is the volume of competing personalities, all vying to get Maya for themselves. It’s not entirely clear why everyone wants Maya. Obviously, the royal family wants their princess back, but the motivations behind the assortment of groups aren’t as obvious. For example, why would the American government want Maya? What would they do with her if they recovered her?

Andrea Milana’s art is solid in this issue. This is the first issue to lean heavily on the gruesome violence as more than one character dies in horrible ways. The figure work is solid, the panel compositions are very good, and the coloring is interesting. Milana’s pencils/inks could be cleaner, but the art is very good overall.

Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.

What’s It About?

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

Check out our DAHLIA IN THE DARK #2 review to find out how Donny and Molly wound up in a standoff.

We pick up with Donny and Ryne in a gunpoint standoff outside a small diner on the side of the road. If Donny doesn’t turn over “the package,” Ryne will kill Molly. Suddenly, Maya emerges from her hiding place and creates a big enough distraction to end the standoff and at least one life.

Later, Donny and Maya race down the highway to find cover and a place to rest while they figure out what to do next. Meanwhile, Ollie gets pressured by government officials to return Maya, regardless of the collateral damage. Elsewhere, Dimitir breaks his banishment and sends a mage, Galvonus, to Earth to finish what Ryne started.

We conclude the issue with ill-timed phone messages, dreams, and nightmares.

Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.

Click Here To Buy This Comic

As an Amazon Associate, we earn revenue from qualifying purchases to help fund this site. Links to Blu-Rays, DVDs, Books, Movies, and more contained in this article are affiliate links. Please consider purchasing if you find something interesting, and thank you for your support.