VERGE #3, from Red 5 Comics on December 29th, 2021, uncovers the conspiracy behind the death of three Samurai as Det. Liu learns a connection between the deaths and her secret past.
The Details
- Written By: Bryce McLellan
- Art By: Dexter Wee
- Colors By: Louie Joyce
- Letters By: Sean Rinehart
- Cover Art By: Dexter Wee
- Cover Price: $3.95
- Release Date: December 29, 2021
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Was It Good?
We’ve been high on this series so far with its innovative take on time travel. VERGE #3 keeps the innovative take going wrapped in a murder-mystery-now-turned-conspiracy-mystery that spans all of NYC and thousands of years of history. That said, this issue is less impactful than the previous issues.
Readers learn a lot, what was originally thought to be a territorial dispute turns out to be something much bigger in scope, and the connection between Det. Liu and the murders should be a wow moment, but somehow nothing stands out. Possibly, there’s a little too much going on all at once, and it’s all supposed to be important. That’s another pitfall of time travel stories when you have multiple plot lines happening in different periods, tying them together can be a monumental task. It’s common to lose the drama of the moment because so much effort is expended just trying to make it all make sense.
These are big discoveries. Life-shaking reveals. But, the comic has to move through so many different scenes quickly, you don’t have a chance to let those revelations breathe before moving on to the next thing.
It sounds like I’m down on this issue, but that’s not the case. It’s a fine entry in the series, and if you love a good mystery, there’s plenty of meat on this bone. The down point is that it feels more academic than dramatic.
Likewise, the art in this issue is fine. Because there are so many revelations and reveals, most delivered via dialog, heavy emphasis is placed on the art team to carry the story through character acting and dialog. Considering that weight, the art team does an admirable job of keeping the conversation interesting through mood lighting and mood coloring to set the tone for visual interest.
Again, the writing and art are fine, so you won’t go wrong if you’re enjoying this series.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Before diving into the details, first read our VERGE #2 review to refresh your memory about what happened in the last issue.
We begin with a flashback to Viking times as we see how a group of raiders became shipwrecked in the frigid North. Olaf, their captain, and the rest prepare for a watery death when we see the Verge opening a portal that sucks them through to modern NYC.
Now, Olaf leads his repatriated Vikings in a series of raids mixed with protests in response to a young Viking’s death in police custody. The young Viking, arrested by Det. Liu, was charged with the murder of the three Samurai, but Liu is now convinced he didn’t do it and begs her captain to let her investigate further. The captain refuses as further “official” investigations would be an admission of wrongdoing by the police. Liu takes the not-so-subtle hint and starts an unofficial investigation.
Together with her partner and the rookie, Liu begins a stakeout at the Samurai temple where she soon learns the tranquil life of meditation and following the Bushido way is far from what’s happening inside. We conclude the issue with a peek into how some groups have learned to exploit the Verge, explanations about why the murdered Samurai were where they were when killed, and Liu’s (distant) past coming back to haunt her.
Final Thoughts
VERGE #3 continues to give readers a crafty and original time travel story wrapped in a history-spanning murder mystery. The art, especially the colors, goes into overdrive to make a dialog-heavy issue full of mood and atmosphere. That said, the story is well-written but it packs a little too much in all at once to get readers from A to B, resulting in a comic that feels more academic than dramatic.
Score: 7/10
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