Writer: Rick Remender
Illustrator: Paul Azaceta
Colors: Matheus Lopes
Letters: Rus Wooton
Cover A: Paul Azaceta
Cover B: Ben Caldwell
Publisher: Image Comics
Summary
Issue three opens with Spring cleaning up the mess made from the break-in at the end of issue two. Winter has finally emerged from her bedroom only to scold Spring. Winter blames Spring for the mess and tells her that she needs to stop acting out. Winter even dismisses the letter from Autumn as attention-seeking in and of itself. As far as Winter can tell, Spring is living out her fantasies as an escape and causing trouble.
And that is just the start of a very bad day for Spring. She manages to get fired, gets berated in the street by several townspeople, receives a bill she can’t pay, and can’t even buy herself a cupcake to cheer herself up.
When she arrives home again later, Winter is interested in making up after their fight. She admits that when their parents disappeared, she volunteered to watch over Spring, but that she resented it. She makes a huge meal, and says that things are okay so long as Spring stays away from all the funny business about the circus.
Later that night, there’s yet another break-in at the Seasons residence. And although Spring saves the day by thwarting the would-be thieves, Winter misses the entire squabble and only sees the mess in the aftermath. She interprets this as Spring not holding up her end of the deal and threatens to send her away to boarding school in the morning.
Thoughts
This issue dives into the interpersonal issues at play between Spring and Winter. What’s compelling is that it’s easy to understand the perspective of each sister here. Winter has no reason to believe that what Spring is saying is true. Not only do Spring’s stories sound fantastical, but Winter also has a generally pessimistic view of life. She stays in the house, and most of the time, she can’t even be bothered to leave her bedroom. And as the adult in this situation, Winter doesn’t even have a job. Her isolation and doom-and-gloom nature won’t allow her to take Spring seriously.
Spring, however, has maintained a job that has been paying the mortgage at only 14 years old. Her job has allowed her to go all over New Gualia and interact with all kinds of people. She takes Autumn and her letter seriously and doesn’t let Winter’s cynicism creep into her own mental processes. And that allows Spring to maintain the mental and emotional flexibility that it takes to understand that there’s a greater context and a looming threat.
Part of what makes the horror work is that the reader knows that Spring is telling the truth while understanding why Winter doesn’t believe her and knowing about the danger that awaits them. Spring is essentially able to perceive an existential threat that others seem unable to perceive.
Now that the carnival has broken into their house twice in one day, it seems like things are heating up while Spring is losing her chance to keep her sisters safe. I can’t wait to find out what happens in the next issue.
Overall: 10/10
K.L.Murphy has BA in English, writes and reviews comics, and habitually pets cats. Comics are all unique and each one represents an enormous amount of thought and effort. Murphy reviews comics based on a variety of factors, but focuses on the artwork, storytelling, and pacing.
