Punks Not Dead: London Calling #3: I Was There, Too

We drop Fergie and Sid off at a new hideaway and spend the bulk of the issue with DEUA agent Dorothy as she flashes back to 2002 and recalls a mission that has deep roots in what’s going on in the present. It’s backstory, but just as gloriously weird and trippy as anything else in this book.

Focusing on Dorothy Culpepper past escapades is a smooth move. One that prevents the Fergie/Sid dynamic from becoming tired or overplayed and elevates the importance of the other characters and story elements.

Exploring the rich, interconnected past of both Dorothy and its ties to Fergie before returning to the present in the same issue really bucks the trend of comics that get that balance lopsided. This isn’t filler. This is instrumental in understanding what Fergie is trying to uncover in the present so that it pays off double when we get there.

Barnett never wants to feel too secure reading this. He shocks you with a reveal or jarring turn and then takes you elsewhere in this world he and Simmons have masterfully created and laid out.

The magical aspects of the series get as much attention as the musical aspects and never outshine the excellent writing that has gone into the characters. It’s a rave of ideas that feels like you’ve double dropped at a festival. Everything’s strange, distorted, (but somehow with hi-def clarity), and one amazing experience.

Just when you think you’ve regained your bearings that last-page reveal just turns this series on its head all over again. That is how you finish an issue.