It takes an invasion to finally have a great issue!
To all who don't know who I am, I'm RedHurricane24. Here, I will be reviewing through my dummy account, CrimsonTempest, this latest issue of The Mighty Crusaders #3. Beforehand, I have been critical of the mini-series' art direction, due to some shortcomings from previous artist Julian Lopez. Now, with Issue #3, the quality has improved in not just the story, but in the art as well. So, ladies and gentlemen, forgive my brief absence, grab your hero suits, and join me as I review The Mighty Crusaders #3.
The Good
Eric Trautmann and Brandon Jerwa start off with a good introduction, following the near-noticeable similarities in their script to Secret Invasion, and have taken a 180 degree turn that vastly improves the quality of the story through this issue. A main contribution to this issue's quality, is surprisingly enough, the segment of The Comet touring through Japan to find the help of The Fox. In that segment, the issue briefly departs from the grim and moody ambience that has been dominant in issues 1 and 2, and adds some much-needed lighthearted comedic tone to the book, almost mirroring the Archie books these heroes have originated from. The general interaction with Comet and Fox is easily reminiscent of Cable and Deadpool, minus the occasional fourth-wall break. Another key element to this book's quality story, is the last-minute additions of the art team of Carlos Rodriguez and Sergio Arino. These artists have definitely improved in spades, the art quality that Julian Lopez had contributed previously to this book. Their work looks smoother, more refined, and less clunky than what was shown before.The Bad
The key things that prevented this issue from going more than 4 stars, thankfully are not many as before, but they silently plague this issue. For starters, the confrontation between the Durlan that was disguised as Jack Latham and King Faraday has the conclusion that feels like it was ripped off Batgirl #13, and their similar scenario between Batgirl and Clayface. It was also fairly easy to notice for Shield to notice that Latham wasn't really Latham, due to the choppy dialogue he was given. It was essentially a dead giveaway that didn't really show any effort from Trautmann and Jerwa. Other problems lie in the handling of the sub-plot of Inferno and Mr. Spencer being locked up for his deeds in Issue #1; the way they're addressed, it shows that they're being given minimal importance.The Verdict
Well, for an issue that still reeks of some similarity of Secret Invasion, Issue #3 has definitely stepped up in terms of quality. A better script, a better art team; it essentially makes having Issue #4 an alacrity, due to its impressive cliffhanger ending. If you're looking for a great contribution to the Mighty Crusaders mini-series, this issue is a great book to obtain. 4/5 SOLID BUYAgain, guys, for all future reviews, for the time being, anyway, I will be using the CrimsonTempest username instead to my RedHurricane24 username due to my inability to log into that account. See ya guys on Wednesday!
