Broken World #3
Recap
Elena and ex-security member Grif make a desperate bid to reach the rocket outpost in a final attempt to escape Earth.
Review
Desperation to find a way off planet Earth and into her family’s arms again begins to set in during Broken World #3, an issue that finds Elena embroiled in a plot pitting The Children against the government holdouts in order to finally make her escape.
After the impact never truly happened, the title of the series Broken World took on an entirely different meaning. The scope of this story is quite remarkable when you learn that it is one of an apocalypse that didn’t actually happen, but was instead ushered into existence by humanity’s reactions to the mere possibility. This puts Elena’s character in a unique position, having been denied evacuated with her family and now forced to endure what remains. In Broken World #3, the series takes this precedence to some pretty extreme limits as we see Elena navigate the depths of humanity’s craziness on her own.
First captured by the same jerk who refused her forged documents in issue #1 then tasked to go undercover and infiltrate The Children cult, we once again find a book that may not be action packed, but is loaded with high-stakes intrigue. The creative team handles a delicate pacing in the third issue as it’s forced to carry the brunt of narrative weight in bringing all the different plotlines together. The result is an issue that feels both fast paced and remarkably substantial. It’s a solid example of consistently great character development in a very short amount of time.
You really just can’t help but root for Elena. She’s a character that has a lot go wrong for her, but still manages to find her way and I love that about her. This drive to be someone better and be with those she loves frames this story with incredible context. While the conspiracy deepens with The Children, and the government holdouts search for rescue, the story never really loses focus on Elena’s struggles and dire hope for a better future.
The artwork is great, but due to the nature of the story doesn’t exactly have a lot of room to impress readers with magnificent splash pages or intense action-sequences. Instead, the visuals rely on expression and world building to take hold of reader’s interest. Dukeshire’s letters once again steal the spotlight with their easy readability and guidance. It’s the kind of book that blends with the overarching narrative really well, rather than trying to show off or take creative liberties that pull you away from the drama.
Ultimately, Broken World #3 finds it’s best success in bringing this story together and setting up a great conclusion in the next issue. It’s interesting because most who get to this issue will probably already have been sold on the series and are trying to see how it plays out. It may not be the issue to convince you to dive into the series in general, but it does great things with it’s place in the overall story, pulling together the last two issues and hinting at something great to come in the final issue.
Final Thoughts
Broken World #3 may not be the issue to convince you to dive into the series in general, but it does great things with it's place in the overall story, pulling together the last two issues and hinting at something great to come in the final issue.
Broken World #3: Leave this Damn Broken World
- Writing - 8.5/108.5/10
- Storyline - 9/109/10
- Art - 8.5/108.5/10
- Color - 9/109/10
- Cover Art - 9/109/10