Bigger Than Capes

Publisher: Black Mask
Written by Ryan K Lindsay
Illustrated by Sami Kivelä
Coloured by Lauren Affe
Lettered by Jim Campbell

The mythology and world building of Everfrost gets deeper in this third issue. Here Van and her allies, the Bloom, take on the Ward Regime as truth and choice come into play. We learn more abut the world that has suffered so much, what might be behind some of the trials and tribulations but also we see Van’s determined mission to reclaim her son’s DNA and prevent any more clones.

After all she killed one of the said clones last issue, he happened to be the leader of the Bloom which means she and the Bloom don’t exactly get the best introduction to each other. However, they have a common interest with regards to the Ward Regime and that interest can align enough to make them see past that initial confrontation. I mean the was also the whole microchip thing but I like to think that mutual goals helped.

Can I just say shout out to the end of the line… line which made me laugh. Everfrost is not a comic given to humour but the slight touch of gallows humour there was much appreciated by me. As was the dragon, or the brief moment we saw it.

Again the world building is really helped by the art. The dragon was beautiful, even in exploding guts and gore. The snowy landscape continues to throw up interesting geography. There are also some very interesting choices with regards to the Ward Regime and how that desolate city is laid out amongst the snow and ice.

There’s also a bit where there’s a break, in a way, and the way the art of that section blends into the harshness of the actual world/reality is really well done. As is the depiction of the controlling AI whom Van goes up against in her quest to get her son’s DNA back. The way the interaction is shown in the art feels dynamic and interesting.

The art in the final part is also very good. I don’t want to say too much but some panels felt really impactful.

With an increasingly wide world to explore the narrative narrows focus to Van’s quest and the combination of the two proves a good balance. Both Van and Rannveig will have choices to make. They are both running in perhaps different directions but it will be interesting to see how their paths affect each other moving forward.