Writer: Evan Dorkin
Artist: Veronica Fish
Layouts: Andy Fish
Lettering: Andy Fish
Colors: Veronica Fish
Cover: Veronica Fish
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Spoilers
Boy, this issue starts with a bang and doesn’t let up much throughout. A vibrant horror comic, Blackwood follows a group of teenagers at a school of the supernatural. It’s been relatively what you’d expect thus far, but there were a few surprises in this third issue. Overall, it’s felt a little slow, then a little rushed, and so for their next venture, I do hope the creators work on their pacing.
There are some cool antagonists, although, I am still more interested in the protagonists, and didn’t really get much more development with any of them. When some knowledge was doled out about our main characters, it wasn’t really explained and didn’t seem to add much to the story. I feel like some of this should have been introduced earlier in the story, too, because it feels like kind of a cop-out and quick clean-up, rather than a purposeful part of the plot.
The bright, high-contrast colors make this book fantastic to look at. I really adore all of the covers so far and the art is engaging. Sometimes the characters are a little stiffly drawn, slightly unproportional, and they don’t always fit inside their panels all that well. Some prior planning and sketching might help, so that everything looks a little more polished. However, I do like the designs of the characters and of the school and the surrounding area. The pictures often glow with eeriness.
Not to be harsh, but the creators should definitely follow the advice of one of their own characters. Wren says, “There’s this thing called paying attention. You should it try it sometime.” Careful awareness of details would help this comic be more accurate, as the word balloons went to the wrong characters at one point. Not only is this confusing for readers, it also shows a lack of proper editing and checking.
The cover for the 4th issue looks bad as heck, in true Blackwood fashion, and I of course, would like to read the conclusion, though I’m worried it’s going to wrap up a little too quickly, based on the previous books.
Overall: 6.5/10
Tee LaFrance Todd writes, edits, reads, explores, and creates whenever she can find the time. When she’s not engaged in some form of storytelling, you can find Tee traversing the world with her husband and her dog, making things, reading tarot cards, and generally striving to live a life beyond anything she can imagine.
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