Fight Club 3 #1
Cody White
Recap
Fight Club is back following the metanarrative shenanigans of the second installment. As promised in the finale to Fight Club 2, Marla is indeed pregnant again, seemingly living a quiet suburban life with Junior while her husband, now going by Balthazar (remember he was unnamed in the first novel and went by Sebastian in the sequel) seeks employment, presumably because Rize or Die no longer exists, per the events of FC2.
The career fair ends with no real opportunities but a trip to the bar changes things dramatically as Tyler emerges to once again create anarchist conflict for our poor, hapless narrator.
This issue also features a subplot (which may or may not be taking place in Junior's snowglobe, thus possibly being just a figment of his imagination) involving an artist and her deceased dog, whom she paints, displays the painting as "not for sale". An odd man comes, drops a case full of Nazi gold and takes the painting out of the frame, replacing it with some sort of living painting. I have no idea where this subplot is going and it exists entirely without dialogue but I suppose I'm along for the ride. In for a penny...
Review
A book like Fight Club 3 is simultaneously a reviewers dream and nightmare. The talent and care that went into this issue is palpable, from David Mack’s cover to Nate Piekos’ lettering. The entire team from FC2 are back to reprise their roles and each member’s passion for the project shows.
On the other hand, though, this book is very much (as were previous installments) about disrupting the reader on multiple levels. This book does not allow you to get comfortable. It resists letting you “enjoy” it. Reading Fight Club is work. As with the last volume, dialogue may be masked by the overlay of flies throughout the book. There is no recap. There is only what happens next. Seeing Cameron Stewart operate without any formal constraints is both exciting and terrifying. Palahniuk does not care if you understand what is happening, Snowflake, so get used to it or get lost. That is my overall impression of issue #1, which I would certainly recommend to fans of the franchise to read issue by issue. For non-fans or maybe casual fans of the film, I would recommend waiting for the trade at this point.
Final Thoughts
Palahniuk, Stewart, McCaig, Piekos, and Mack are back with Fight Club 3, a daring comic narrative you need to see to believe.
Fight Club 3 #1: Call Him Balthazar
- Writing - 9/109/10
- Storyline - 8/108/10
- Art - 9/109/10
- Color - 9/109/10
- Cover Art - 10/1010/10