[amazon_link asins=’B0753SV6BM’ template=’AiPTProductAd’ store=’aiptcomics-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’bbd0d25b-cefa-11e7-84f1-d7a055a6e5f9′]
In Glitterbomb: The Fame Game #3, Kaydon Klay comes face to face with the parasitic force that drove Farrah to mass murder back in volume one. Plus, Detective Isaac Rahal and Kaydon’s friend Martina find themselves drawn deeper into the chaos. So, how is this latest chapter in Jim Zub and Djibril Morissette-Phan’s celebrity horror saga?
The issue starts off strong with one of its most memorable scenes. Isaac stares into his dinner plate, and finds himself repulsed by its various contents as they trigger a flashback to the night of Farrah’s mass murder. Her facial features contorted and split as the creature inhabiting her body unleashed itself, and Isaac is constantly haunted by the memory of it from that point onward. This usage of memory and emotional dread to convey horror is fantastic and in keeping with the creators’ stated goals for the series. Glitterbomb is at its strongest when the characters, rather than the monster, are the driving narrative force, and this issue does a great job when focusing on Kaydon, Isaac, and Martina’s emotional states.
With that said, it’s worth noting that the creature (through a possessed host body) still drives much of the plot here, and exchanges a lot of dialogue with Kaydon. Their interactions have some strong points, most notably Kaydon’s purple-tinted visions when the creature alters her state of consciousness. Though she loses some agency as a result of the monster’s control, Kaydon has a few poignant moments here that strike right at the heart of why she wants to be famous. On the downside, having the creature speak so much feels a bit at odds with the series’ overall focus on human greed and corruption as the true evils. I’m not opposed to the monster getting dialogue on occasion, but given that it speaks on almost half of this issue’s pages, I worry that the horror is drifting a bit too far into the literal rather than the metaphorical. The creature also doesn’t really say much that hasn’t already been implied, so its prominence here feels a bit unneeded.
Artistically, Morissette-Phan continues to be a promising talent. When they’re on, they’re really on, and there is some very nice character expression and perspective work here. Colorist K. Michael Russell also stands out, with a wide variety of potent and visually pleasing tones. Whether panel backgrounds are detailed or just consists of coloration, they almost always look good. My main gripe with the issue’s art is just the variance in amount of detail present across panels. When different panels in a single scene vary drastically in terms of how much of the physical setting they depict, the overall sense of cohesion suffers. That’s not to say that the inconsistency is ever jarring enough to take one out of the scene completely, just that a little more uniformity in spots could have helped make the issue’s good moments into great moments.
[amazon_link asins=’B0753SV6BM’ template=’BottomAdAIPT’ store=’aiptcomics-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’5d14d95c-cefb-11e7-954c-559b41382ebb’]
Is It Good?
Glitterbomb: The Fame Game #3 is another solid entry for the horror sequel series. Much appreciated attention is paid to Isaac and Kaydon’s mental states, and there’s a lot to praise visually. In terms of cons, some inconsistency of detail hinders various scenes’ cohesion, and the creature talks an awful lot despite supposedly not being the true evil at play. Nonetheless, this is a good issue. Hopefully next month’s final installment will end this series with a bang…without being too predictable or overly similar to the original Glitterbomb‘s conclusion.
Join the AIPT Patreon
Want to take our relationship to the next level? Become a patron today to gain access to exclusive perks, such as:
- ❌ Remove all ads on the website
- 💬 Join our Discord community, where we chat about the latest news and releases from everything we cover on AIPT
- 📗 Access to our monthly book club
- 📦 Get a physical trade paperback shipped to you every month
- 💥 And more!
