Pariah #3 Review

Pariah #3 continues to offer a unique futuristic setting with plenty of themes that hit close to home. If you’re a fan of the first two issues, I see no reason why Pariah #3 would change your mind.

The official description from Dark Horse:

The last Vitro on Earth devises a plan to cut off government control of the Vitro satellite in order to free his comrades in space.

This issue changes the perspective to someone on Earth, which makes for an interesting change of pace. The first two issues have established the setting, so Pariah #3 takes the opportunity to dive a little further in and explore some new areas. That said, it manages to stay highly relevant to the main story line and stays engaging and exciting at all times, offering a well-told start and an all-important cliffhanger at the end.

Philip Gelatt and Aron Warner clearly get the themes of their own story and know how to make them relate to ideas we understand. Despite being futuristic, Gelatt relates the Vitro and Humans to a sense of ‘us and them’. The lack of indifference feels familiar, making the characters feel all the more human and alive. It never strays too far into fantasy and ensures the writing has a much more personal impact and it comes off all the more better for it.

Visually, Brett Weldele has a distinct title that holds up well. His style may be a little loose but Pariah #3 doesn’t skip on detail and reads smoothly from panel to panel. My only gripe is the choice of color. On a second read-through, the constant use of blue and orange becomes all the more obvious.

All in all, this is a very strong third issue. The plot moves at a decent enough pace, the title is visually appealing and there’s a lot to soak in from start to finish. In other words, I’m highly awaiting the fourth issue.