PURGATORI (VOL. 2) #3 – Review

In PURGATORI (VOL. 2) #3, from Dynamite Comics on December 15th, 2021, the witches’ plan to take over Purgatori’s mind becomes clear, and a reluctant ally may be the only one who can stop it.

The Details

• Written By: Ray Fawkes
• Art By: Álvaro Sarraseca
• Colors By: Salvatore Aiala
• Letters By: Tom Napolitano
• Cover Art By: Antonio Fuso (cover A)
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: December 15, 2021

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Was It Good?

PURGATORI (VOL. 2) #3 is not bad, but it’s a little frantic and disjointed in how it flows. At a few points, it feels like Fawkes is doing a mild impersonation of Christopher Priest’s writing style with less successful results.

The challenge with stories of this sort is you have one character (in this case multiple characters) inhabiting another’s mind, and that inevitably leads to the main character expressing themselves with increasing confusion. Saying and doing things one way one minute and another way the next. It’s very difficult to portray the accuracy of the moment without confusing the reader at the same time, and Fawkes doesn’t pull it off completely here.

The narrative is bumpy, jumping from one moment to the next in a jarring way, but we do get clarity around the coven’s plan and how they’ve managed to figure it out. On that front, there’s a significant amount of plot development, and a wrinkle for the coven is thrown in for good measure to make the outcomes more dangerous for both Purgatori and the coven. Again, surprises are a good thing and we get a few of them here.

The art is fine. The character designs have plenty of detail, and the action scenes are both gory and energetic. Where the art is lacking is in the backgrounds. The backgrounds are largely either a flat color or rendered with so little detail that it looks like the characters are center stage in a play. The coloring is good, but the lighting and backgrounds details fall short.

What’s It About?

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

Witches?!? Mind invasions?!? If you’re confused, first read our PURGATORI (VOL. 2) #2 review.

We pick up, out of the blue, with Purgatori and Darwish in Kenya. Neither of them knows how they got there or why, but Darwish uses the opportunity to kill a group of shapeshifting crocodile people. Purgatori is content to let Darwish bear the brunt of the struggle, only stepping in when she sees he might get killed. These shapeshifters are no match for Purgatori, so the threat level is almost non-existent for her.

Later, Purgatori searches her mind for memories of those she’s killed in the area over the centuries. She figures out she can’t access the memories of the witches she recently killed, and Darwish concludes the witches wanted Purgatori to kill them so they could invade her mind for some ritual purpose.

Suddenly, another wave of shapeshifters attacks and Darwish figures out they’re trying to separate him from Purgatori. Darwish guesses correctly as a third witch appears and goads Purgatori into killing her. Before the deed is done, Darwish throws his knife and kills the witch before Purgatori can drain her. We conclude the issue with Purgatori reminding Darwish why nobody should mess with her food, the coven desperately searching for a Plan B, and a new bargain struck in haste.

Final Thoughts

PURGATORI (VOL. 2) #3 reveals the intentions behind the coven’s ritual and the threat it poses to Purgatori and the world. The writing flow could intentionally be confusing to reflect Purgatori’s mental state but the reading experience is a little too close to confusing for comfort. The art style is just okay but the lack of detail in the backgrounds make most of the panels feel small and flat.

Score: 7.5/10

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