Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Echoes #3 Review

By John McCubbin on Tuesday, September 9th, 2014

How will Sam escape the clutches of his captures? Read on to find out.

The official description from Dynamite:

This comic is territory restricted, with Dynamite only having North American distribution rights!
The scope of KROWE’s activities widens by the minute, and Sam is going in alone. He will be put to the test as his past deeds race up to catch him, and his team can only watch – and hope – that Sam has the grit to endure what he faces.

So far Splinter Cell: Echoes has proven to be a very enticing yarn, fitting into the world of the video game franchise perfectly, utilising elements to create a thrilling new adventure. Having got captured at the gripping climax of last issue, we see how Sam deals with the brutality of his captors, and how he eventually escapes.

Nathan Edmondson continues to impress me with this Splinter Cell tale, with the Black Widow/The Punisher writer having me completely hooked. Giving brilliant dialogue throughout, Edmondson manages to set up the events for next issues conclusion, whilst at the same time keeping the focus on the task at hand. There was however a part of me that found Sam’s interrogation/torture to be a little short, as following the teaser in the first issue I was looking forward to seeing how Sam would struggle. The introduction of Grim to the series was however a nice touch, with her presence helping to lead into the final act of this tale.

The artwork throughout this series also continues to amaze, with Marc Laming‘s detailed pencils, and bold inks allowing for an intense look. Coupled with Ian Herring‘s vivid colours, Laming manages to entice readers, with the visuals during the second half feeling cinematic, whilst also showing elements from the games. Despite all this it was the sheer grit of the art that impressed me, with the texture, and shading throughout giving a very graphic feel to this story.

Splinter Cell: Echoes continues to entice as it enters it’s penultimate issue, leading into the conclusion very nicely. Highly recommended.