IN HIS OWN IMAGE #3, from Source Point Press on April 26th, 2022, concludes the arc with a horrifying insight into the nature of humanity’s violence as our protagonist is forced to endure every desecration now that he’s no longer considered “human.”
The Details
- Written By: Gabriele Schiavoni
- Art By: Gabriele Schiavoni
- Colors By: Gabriele Schiavoni
- Letters By: Gabriele Schiavoni
- Cover Art By: Gabriele Schiavoni
- Cover Price: $2.99
- Release Date: April 26, 2022
Was It Good?
IN HIS OWN IMAGE #3 finishes the arc with a relatively satisfying conclusion on the last few pages, but the journey to get to those last pages is a bit of a rough ride.
When last we left our protagonist, he escaped from a synthetics facility where most of his injuries were replaced with cybernetic parts. He’s more machine than man now, and he wanders the streets looking for help. Shortly, his day goes from bad to worse as the public sees him as just another malfunctioning machine, and that leads to a series of demeaning and painful humiliations. Schiavoni lays on the torture thick, and you may feel uncomfortable in spots.
The winning premise in the first issue lies with the challenging questions surrounding how far humans will go to satisfy their baser urges. Here, those challenging questions take a backseat to a story of karmic revenge, and while there’s a place for revenge fantasies, it feels like the promise of the first issue falls short by not addressing those questions. The revenge fantasy becomes a down point because it doesn’t pay off the beginning premise.
The second down point is the talking. Lots and lots of talking. Rather than show the reader the nature of humanity and allowing the reader to decide on a conclusion. The conclusion is explained by the cybernetic scientist to his Board of Directors in granular detail with large (very large) word bubbles and lengthy speeches. At points, it’s a chore to get through the dialog explaining humanity’s propensity for violence and aggression. It’s an interesting college lecture, but it doesn’t make for a good comic.
The parts that do have action are well done and dramatic. Schiavoni has a good eye for perspective panels that maximize the feeling of something coming at you, and those panels play up an effective feeling of escalating dread.
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]
If you don’t recall how the protagonist wound up as more machine than man, first read our IN HIS OWN IMAGE #2 review.
We begin with our protagonist wobbling through the city’s dark sidestreets as he tries to acclimate to his new body. Suddenly, he’s knocked down by a group of teens throwing rocks. They mistake him for just another malfunctioning synthetic and defile him with kicks, hits, and urine.
A police officer happens upon the scene, and the teens run away. Later, our protagonist wakes up in a lab where the head scientist explains he’s been detained by permission of the courts after several misdemeanor crimes committed during his escape. In the lab, our protagonist endures experimentation and torture as the head scientist searches for ways to programmatically purge the synthetics, modeled after human behavior, from exhibiting human traits of psychopathy and aggression.
We conclude the issue with a monkey’s plan, a distraction, revenge, and mercy.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
(Click this link 👇 to order this comic)
IN HIS OWN IMAGE #3 ends the story with a couple of satisfying pages but you have to wade through a lot of tedious dialog to get there. The concept is interesting, and the ending leaves room for more, but this is a generally uneven ending that doesn’t quite deliver on the original premise.
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.
We hope you found this article interesting. Come back for more reviews, previews, and opinions on comics, and don’t forget to follow us on social media:
If you’re interested in this creator’s works, remember to let your Local Comic Shop know to find more of their work for you. They would appreciate the call, and so would we.
Click here to find your Local Comic Shop: www.ComicShopLocator.com