KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE #3 – Comic Review

KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE #3, from Titan Comics on March 29th, 2023, unveils the truth behind Ragnarök’s origin as Aruto feels the heat to get the damage under control.

The Details

• Written by: Brandon Easton
• Art by: Hendry Prasetya
• Colors by: Bryan Valenza
• Letters by: Jame
• Cover art by: Miguel Mercado (cover A)
• Comic Rating: Teen+
• Cover price: $3.99
• Release date: March 29, 2023

Is It Good?

Okay, now we’re cooking with Progrisekeys. Up to this point, Brandon Easton has laid out a serviceable Kamen Rider tale with a mysterious, albeit one-dimensional, villain. However, Easton pays off the mystery in KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE #3 with a villain whose origin and mission spell trouble for the entire world.

When last we left Aruto, he was forcing himself to learn battle tactics and the fine art of thinking before acting when a Ragnarök construct invaded HI and hijacked a small army of Magia to create havoc. Now, Aruto and Izu contain the damage and find a clever way to track down the source of Ragnarök’s signal for a confrontation.

There are two aspects of this comic that work in its favor and elevate the series beyond a middle-of-the-road Kamen Rider story.

First, Easton gives Aruto a chance to demonstrate applied knowledge from his tactical training. In other words, Aruto grows (a little) as a character, proving himself worthy of being a Kamen Rider rather than an irresponsible slacker playing with a very dangerous weapon he inherited.

Second, Easton pays off the mystery behind Ragnarök’s origin to make it as big and threatening as possible while still fitting within the Kamen Rider universe. Kamen Riders are all about technology, so it makes sense that the Kamen Rider’s biggest threat would also be rooted in technology.

The minor down point of the issue is the muddled explanation of Ragarök’s origin. When you read it, you’ll eventually get the gist, but the wording could have been better.

The art in this issue is fantastic. You get everything you could want in a Kamen Rider comic – big explosions, impossible motorcycle jumps, hidden bases, and action-packed fights. Prasetya and Valenza put their all into delivering exciting action, and it shows.

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 KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE #2 review to find out how Aruto learned a valuable lesson that saved his life.

We begin with Aruto and Izu barely escaping an explosion that diffused the Ragnarök construct. Unfortunately, the nano-infected Magia didn’t get the memo. Aruto and Izue fight race and leap their way through headquarters to draw the Magia outside to save lives and reduce damage to the building.

Later, Aruto gets a warning from the Board of Directors that his time as CEO may be up if he doesn’t deal with the threat immediately. Meanwhile, Izu examines the Magia remains and learns of the remote controlling signals source location.

We conclude the issue with a secret base, a failsafe that does more harm than good, and one key to rule them all.

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

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