Is It Good? Devilers #3 Review

Devilers #3 picks up where we left off within the labyrinth of hell as our heroes continue to forge towards the center tower, home of the Devil himself. However when you’re surrounded by flames and death and you forget to pack some water, how long can a mortal last in a demonic maze? The third installation of this series: is it good?

Devilers #3 (Dynamite Entertainment)

The first thing I have to do is mention the art in this series. Triano, though he has sometimes had difficulty with faces, has given us great art through the first three issues and I don’t expect him to let up. The environments he’s painting in Hell are spot on (well I suppose that’s open to interpretation) and the dimensions and angle used in the opening labyrinth scene actually give you vertigo. He’s on top of his game in this issue as well and gets the opportunity to draw some significant figures (See last page of comic).

This issue definitely tones down on the backstory and gives you a much more fluid read, thus correcting its problems from last issue with trying to do too much.

The story jumps back and forth from chronicling the team’s path through the maze and the backstory of Raab Al-Fayed (our Islamic team member who can produce blue fire-energy). That’s one downfall of the comic that irks me; names are rarely mentioned so you have to refer to people by their powers. This is just a minor problem though. Other than that the writing is quite good. Fialkov is able to use this medium to make some bold statements about religion and how humanity has distracted itself from the recognition of our common beliefs.

I examined the second title page of the comic that features several silhouettes with different religious symbols glowing in their chest. I couldn’t tell if this was supposed to be a general representation of the team or an accurate depiction, especially because the center figure doesn’t have a symbol. However after this issue, I believe this is actually the team and the middle character, intentionally left without a symbol, is going to be playing a bigger role in the comic from here on out.

Is It Good?

The storyline is a lot less complex and the art is still solid, featuring a couple of really nice two-page spreads. I would like a little more action, as this issue does a little more story-telling than action-depiction. There is a good twist at the end that should set up the next issue quite nicely. Another good issue for this series.