UNBORN #3, available from Source Point Press on November 24th, 2021, follows the two survivors of the Goliath as they hunt down the last alien critter to secure the planet’s resources, buying Earth a few more years of life.
The Details
- Written By: Frank Gogol
- Art By: Ev Cantada
- Colors By: Ev Cantada
- Letters By: Sean Rinehart
- Cover Art By: Maan House (cover A)
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Release Date: November 24, 2021
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Was It Good?
Conflict in any type of story — the conflict between right and wrong or good and evil — works when the protagonist faces a challenge greater themselves. The Joker is a perfect foil to Batman because the Joker breaks the rules the Batman cannot. Lex Luthor excels at defying Superman because he uses lies and deception when Superman will not. The joy of seeing the hero prevail comes from the hero overcoming an obstacle greater than himself/herself.
However, that conflict doesn’t work when the protagonist faces a greater challenge through reckless, abject stupidity. Therein, lies the difficulty with this issue. Goliath’s surviving crew don’t run off to live (and fight) another day. They don’t outsmart the alien critters with strategy and planning. They run head-first into the proverbial lion’s den with an axe, a rifle, and not much sense at all. It’s the worst case of the supporting cast member of a slasher film going into the basement with a single lit match after hearing a scary noise. You can feel yourself wanting to yell at the screen “What are you DOING?!? IDIOT!”
To give some credit, we get a little backstory on Marco that clarifies his motivations. He’s not as heartless as his outward persona lets on, and you start to feel some empathy for the character once you get clarity about where he’s been and what he’s working to accomplish. It makes sense although the secrecy around his motivations felt a bit needless.
The art by Cantada and the team is very good in this issue. The story is action-heavy with lots of slashing stingers, swinging axes, and mutilations. There’s a nice blend of strong emotional acting in the flashbacks and serious action in the present, and Cantada executes on both equally well.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
To find out how the crew whittled down to just two, first read our UNBORN #2 review.
We begin with a flashback to Marco as a young boy. His parent (it’s unclear from the art if it’s a mother or father) is not an encouraging parent, forcing Marco to find solutions to learn and grow through self-determination. Now, we see Marco and Mia heading off to the ground opening where the critters first emerged to attack the crew. Mia has convinced herself there’s only one left, the one that killed Timber, and she orders Marco to go with her to chase it back to its source and kill it.
At this point, you would wisely be asking yourself “How do they know there’s only one left? Why don’t they just blow up the cave entrance and seal it off? Why don’t they leave if they have 99% of the materials they need? Why are they being so reckless and dumb?” These are all good questions. Unfortunately, there are no satisfying answers.
Once they get inside, Mia and Marco track the critter to the source where they find… dramatic pause… a large cavern filled with many critters, some bigger than a man, and many, many eggs ready to hatch more. “Run away!” you shout inside your sensible brain. “Flee!” Alas, Mia is a woman possessed of the need for revenge for her fallen lover, and they commence a battle – two against dozens or hundreds.
We conclude the issue with two becoming one, Marco receiving a reply to his secret research transmissions, and a final prayer.
Final Thoughts
UNBORN #3 has strong emotional beats to fill in the backstory of one of the characters and plenty of tense human-vs-alien action. However, the actions of the humans are so recklessly stupid, you start to think you want to see them die in a bizarre case of schaden freude. Thankfully, the art is a good fit for the material and visually pleasing.
Score: 6.5/10
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