Writer: John Allison
Artist: Christine Larsen
Colorist: Sarah Stern
Lettering: Jim Campbell
Cover: Christine Larsen
Publisher: BOOM! Studios/BOOM! Box
Spoilers
This book is one of my most anticipated each month, but I have to admit that this issue let me down a little. I really, really wanted to see more of this amazing world beyond the portal, but instead, I got pages upon pages of Chip and Barney…who are still great characters and very funny, but I missed Jane and Heather! I felt a little cheated…I felt like I was missing the real fun, and for the third issue, I was not yet ready to take a look at a side story, when we’ve barely gotten to see the main story and characters.
Even so, I enjoyed myself with this issue. It was full of amusing quips, as I’ve come to love, and hilarious situations. The ending was great and left me wanting so much more. I do cringe at the sheer amount of pop culture references, because I know that it will be a detriment to the potential for this story being timeless. However, I also find myself chuckling at the contemporary jokes, so it does work well for this story. The characters are very well developed, even for being side characters that took over the stage for number 3. A lot of comics on the shelves can take a lesson from this mastery of character development.
I’ve already gushed about the art so much in the other two issues, that I’m probably boring everyone by doing it again. The clean lines, quirky expressions, and simplistic backgrounds are all visually appealing and make the book easy and enjoyable to look at.
I’m still hooked on By Night, so there’s that. This is one reader who is probably in it for the long haul and probably going to get the trade when the issues are collected. It’s just too cool to miss, so if you haven’t dived in yet, stop hopping up and down on the board, and just jump.
Overall: 8.5/10
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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