Shoot First #3 Review

By John McCubbin on Wednesday, December 18th, 2013

What will happen to S.H.A.R.D. when they walk into a forest full of fairies? Read on to find out in this Shoot First #3 Review.

The official description from Dark Horse:

The Secular Humanist Occult Obliteration Taskforce faces off against a forest full of fairies, elves, and magical creatures . . . without their guns! Secrets are revealed, dragons are wrestled, and the stage is set for the shocking final confrontation! Don’t miss the series the NY Post calls “hotly anticipated”!

The start of this issue kind of perplexed me, as having not read the previous issues I felt as if I was missing something. I would however soon forget all that as the wonderful and magical story would sweep me into a land of excitement.

Justin Aclin simply amazes me with the way that he manages to incorporate these fantasy elements in a very unique and realistic way, making the story more appealing to adults. Aclin also paces this issue brilliantly with it very dramatic and suspenseful moments, whilst also supplying intrigue at the same time. I also loved how Aclin handled the dialogue in this issue. Although it isn’t the best that I have ever read, it would help to give the tone that this issue needed, as well as adding some tension between the characters involved.

The artwork from Nicolás Daniel Selma was also extremely good. His style doesn’t appeal to me too much, but his layouts were simply spectacular, making the issue much more impactful, as well as giving much more depth to the story. I also loved how Selma’s artwork accelerated the story through its natural ebbs and flows, as it would help the story transition from the present to the flashback sequences perfectly. On top of this Selma handles the characters facial expressions and emotions brilliantly, and even more so with certain characters, adding more intensity to Aclin’s story.

This was a very fun and exciting issue and although it wasn’t initially new reader friendly, it was easy to get into, with the suspense and intensity of the story helping towards that.