Ei8ht #3 Review


Will Joshua come any closer to understanding why he’s in the Meld? And will he ever get home? Read on to find out.

The official description from Dark Horse:

As Dr. Hamm and the black-ops soldier Collins try to survive in the prehistoric past, the fierce warrior Nila and the chrononaut Joshua attempt to convince the rebel council to take up arms against the Tyrant before he releases a dangerous scourge and wipes them all from the face of the Meld!

Ei8ht #3 previewSo far Ei8ht has been the perfect mini-series (for this fanboy at least), and though this third outing prevents the series from ending with a flawless record, it’s still impresses more than most comics that are on the stands today. Giving some game changing developments, Ei8ht #3 takes us deeper into the Meld, with Joshua’s mission becoming more clearer than ever before. The Tyrant also becomes a much more focal point of this tale, with the culminate developments of this issue bound to have fans eager for the next installment.

Rafael Albuquerque‘s first foray into writing has more than been successful, as with the help of Mike Johnson he’s delivered a clever and exciting story, that’s gripping on every level. This continues into the latest issue, with the dramatic dialogue shared between Joshua and Nila being more captivating than ever before, and the “8” also having more purpose to the plot. Despite this, the issue feels too much like set-up work at times, and though that’s not necessarily a bad thing, it does take away from the momentum that the series has generated so far.

Though Albuquerque’s story has been nothing short of astounding, it’s his artwork that continues to blow me away. Delivering a sleek, immersive series of layouts, the American Vampire artist certainly knows his craft, utilising the scenery and facial expressions to enhance his story. It is on the other hand his colours that once again allows Ei8ht to stand out from other sci-fi series, with the colours coding giving depth, as well as helping differentiate between time periods.

I always expected Ei8ht to be an impressive series, but the work that the creative team has delivered over these first three issues has been nothing short of phenomenal. Being fresh, creative and mysterious, this tale certainly knows how to keep fans hooked, with the culminate developments of this issue only taking these sentiments to a whole new level.

OUR RATING
9
  • + Shocking climax.
  • + Mindblowing artwork.
  • + Clever narrative.
  • - Felt too much like set-up.

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