REVIEW: ‘Goddess Mode,’ Issue #3

Goddess Mode #3 is published by DC Vertigo, written by Zoë Quinn, with art from Robbi Rodriguez, colors by Rico Renzi, and letters from Simon Bowland. The issue picks up where the last left off with Mary in the jaws of a daemon after being called back into Azoth.

With Goddess Mode #3 starting in Azoth, we see the women scrambling to save Mary while also keeping both daemons and Antimony at bay. As the Oracle of Garbage, our lead character, Cassandra, discovers her power and how she fits into the group. One of the beauties of the series has been the self-doubt that Cassandra shows and the other Oracles supporting her. In this issue, we get to see Cassandra struggling and once again see her uplifted by an Oracle, Farrah to be exact.

This could be seen as repetitive and part of me is wondering why Cassandra just can’t pull it together, especially after realizing her power. That being said, the dialogue Quinn writes between the two is real and again a section I found powerful, especially at this extremely busy time in my life. Farrah explains, the struggle that Sophie has faced. She hasn’t let the fight change her, no matter how much it sucked, Sophie wore “[her heart] on her fists.”

As a series, Quinn’s words strike at the heart of people who have struggled or are struggling with feeling like they are enough. In Cassandra, we see doubts and questions that some of us have just by entering a building we work at or walking into a college classroom. Even after a feat of strength against Antimony, she is not confident and she doesn’t believe in herself, which in many ways strikes at what many of us would be like if we discovered a new world that we must fight to protect.

Rodriguez’s art is again, extremely striking. From the beautiful cover, the design of the Daemon on the first page that makes me want Rodriguez to work on some live-action kaiju, to the stark difference between Cassandra and her surrounding on the last page, the art, and Renzi’s colors on this book is unparalleled by other titles out now. The action is reminiscent of a manga and the colors are unique, with so many different ones in use and still looking cohesive.

The lettering is also great, and the final panel’s one-word ending is something that hits you just like it hits Cassandra. Goddess Mode continues to keep me engaged, in love and seeing myself in Cassandra’s struggle.

If you’re looking for a comic that has direction, beauty, and emotion, pick up Goddess Mode. I can’t recommend a comic more than I recommend this title right now. I want to talk more but  I also want to keep this clear of any spoilers. At the end of the day, Goddess Mode #3 speaks to people struggling to find confidence in their power and keep the fight going even if everything inside of you is telling you can’t.

Goddess Mode #3 is available now everywhere comic books are sold.