In SUICIDE JOCKEYS #3, available from Source Point Press on October 27th, 2021, Denver and the team struggle to reactivate Lannard’s time travel engine when the memories of alternate timelines give Denver second thoughts about doing the right thing.
The Details
- Written By: Rylend Grant
- Art By: Davi Leon Dias
- Colors By: Iwan Joko Triyono
- Letters By: HdE
- Cover Art By: Davi Leon Dias
- Cover Price: $2.99 (digital version)
- Release Date: October 27, 2021
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Was It Good?
This was a difficult issue to quantify in terms of “like” and “dislike”. The story in this issue is meant to be emotion-heavy, and the bits and pieces are there to pull it off, but to catalyze an emotional reaction with the reader in this setup, you have to be able to empathize with the character going through the emotional turmoil. That character is Denver, and he’s not a very relatable or sympathetic person, so you may struggle to find the emotional depth you’re looking for.
In this issue, the memories of alternate timelines appear to be growing stronger (more details in the next section). Denver wrestles with the choices he needs to make that will restore the original timeline. But, he also recognizes that restoring a timeline doesn’t make everyone’s life great, and you’re supposed to feel the conflict weighing on his decision to restore or not restore the timeline.
Again, readers are meant to feel the emotional struggle, but it only works if you can empathize with Denver. However, Denver is, to put it simply, a jerk. He’s a big enough jerk that it’s difficult to root for him or even care much about what happens to him, so the ability to empathize with this monumental decision feels hollow. When you actively dislike the character you’re supposed to empathize with, the emotional impact of an otherwise well-written issue falls short.
Thankfully, the art in this issue is excellent and appears to be improving with each successive issue. Since this issue is all about the character moments, Dias does a commendable job pulling off emotionally expressive faces and body language.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
If you don’t recall how Denver came to make this monumental decision, first read our SUICIDE JOCKEYS #2 review.
We catch up with Denver “dreaming” about an alternate timeline where he and Naomi are living in domestic bliss. Their teammates are living their own lives, starting families, and all is right with the world. However, Denver can see that some of the problems (illness, breakups, etc.) still find a way to bubble up to the surface of people’s lives.
Later, we see Buj working on getting Payson Lannard’s time engine to work so that the team can go back to 1997 and undo the damage to the timeline. Buj is good but he’s no scientist and the testing results are discouraging. With the team mostly back together, they get the idea that their best chance to get time travel working without wasting years of research is to get Lannard out of prison for help.
With a few calls and the right connections, the team gets an audience with Lannard where they learn she came up with the time travel engine for a very similar reason – to save the person she loved from a horrible death. We conclude the issue with arguments over bureaucratic red tape, arguments about who’s in charge, and a door getting kicked down.
Final Thoughts
SUICIDE JOCKEYS #3 has all the makings of a heartfelt, emotionally stirring issue about the choices we make and how we live with them. However, the emotional impact of the main character’s decisions is muted by his sheer unlikability. All the components are present, including some outstanding art, but the main character is too offputting to root for.
Score: 7.5/10
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