The Karman Blade #3: An Unexpected Turn of Events

I am admittedly a bit torn on this issue. On the one hand, it was fascinating how the story progressed with both new and familiar characters, placing them in situations the first two issues would have led readers to believe wouldn’t be a factor. These situations worked well, too. The art somehow became more surreal than it had in issues past, of which I am always in favor, with characters and backgrounds nearly blending into each other in such a way that you can not tell where one ends and the other begins. It felt reminiscent of a Salvador Dali painting.  I thought that was a masterful choice for this issue, especially thematically and metaphorically. Darcy Van Poelgeest fed into the surreal nature of this issue with her narration, as well, delivering hauntingly poetic lines on nearly every page. Poelgeest and artist Ian Bertram have crafted a world that is just that, hauntingly poetic. The mystery behind the Blade and its relation to Kalu continues to grow, and I hope we will see the climax of that mystery in the final issue.

The reason I am torn, however, is that there is only one issue left. I would be lying if I said that it did not outright worry me. This story feels larger than a four-issue mini-series, at this point, and I worry that the ending will be rushed and unfulfilled. It seems like there is still so much to explore with the world, the Blade, Anatta’s character (yes, he’s back following his apparent death last issue!), and this new romance-turned-family of Anatta and one of the daughters of Kalu. This series has been a masterclass in atmospheric dark fantasy for the past three months, and I have faith in the creative team after the past three issues, but with so much to wrap up in so little time, I desperately hope that they stick the landing.

My thoughts on this issue are still largely positive, though, and if not for that final issue looming over, this would be my favorite issue of the series yet. My ratings below will reflect that.