Buzzkill has been one of the surprisingly best new books to debut this year and issue #3 delves deeper into the everyday life of our alcoholic, drug powered superhero and continues to surprise and entertain.

Official Description from DARK HORSE:
Ruben’s new AA sponsor, the mystical-burnout teleporter Dr. Blaqk, has him acknowledging his past errors, apologizing to his fellow superheroes on their moon base, and facing his angry ex-girlfriend. But after a shocking betrayal sends the booze-fueled hero literally over the edge, a demon from his past bursts onto the scene.

I was hooked after the first issue of Buzzkill and the series just keeps getting better each issue. After issue #2 enormous action between Buzzkill and a horde of villains, issue #3 settles back in to Ruben’s attempt at getting clean and giving up the superhero game. For the first time in the series we are introduced to Buzzkill’s former team as he works on his twelve steps by making amends to those he’s done wrong. It’s a short scene but full of fun and a touch of the dramatic when the leader of the team responds to Ruben’s apology.

Buzzkill’s new sponsor is a Dr. Blaqk, who probably has a lot of issues himself, but for now he’s here to help Ruben. What follows is his attempt to apologize to his ex-girlfriend and the fallout that comes from that encounter just could send Ruben back to the bottle, not to be a superhero, but to exact revenge. What he stumbles into is both a real blow to his recovery but he’s got much bigger problems on his hands.

While he has been trying to get clean something always seems to make it necessary for him to go back to the bottle and what touched-off the fight for survival in issue #2 is mild in comparison to what he will face by the end of issue #3. This villain is not only the worst and most dangerous of all but also a major shock to the system for the reader. There’s not much action this time round but it’s by no means a weakness. Donny Cates, who scripts the issues, keeps you guessing and nothing is ever obvious or telegraphed. He hits you when you least expect it and makes Ruben and character who is forced into facing everything he is trying to escape but still adds enough fun and wit into the mix to make this a well-rounded story.

Geoff Shaw’s art continues to be spot-on for this book and really brings life through vibrant facial expressions and just of hint of the cartoonish blended with sketchy loose style that so befitting to this story. Every emotion from sadness to anger is punctuated with a style all it’s own.

It’s really too bad that this is only a four-part miniseries because I feel this story by Cates and co-plotted by Mark Reznicek is really just beginning. Although the big showdown is introduced by the end of issue #3 there’s enough going on and left unsaid that I only hope that this book turns into so much more. Buzzkill so far has been excellent and while I can’t wait to see what happens next I also don’t want it to end. Give it a read and you’ll feel the same way. Buzzkill is such a great surprise in comics this year and one well-worth picking up.

4/5