Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Co-Op and weapon kit promotional image from Treyarch and Raven Studios

    Sharing Gunsmith Builds in Black Ops 7 Is About To Get Much Easier

    08/19/2025
    EA Sports Madden NFL 26 Head Coach But Why Tho 5

    Dear EA Sports, Why Can’t I Make A Hot Coach?

    08/14/2025
    Blade in Marvel Rivals Season 3.5

    Blade Can Shut Down The Other Team In Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 If You Know How

    08/08/2025
    John Cena and Cody Rhodes during Summerslam 2025

    The SummerSlam 2025 Main Event Was A Fever Dream We All Needed

    08/08/2025
    Street Fighter 6 Sagat

    Sagat Brings Depth And Approachability To ‘Street Fighter 6’

    08/07/2025
  • Indie Games
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Apple TV+
But Why Tho?
Home » DC Comics » REVIEW: ‘Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen,’ Issue #3

REVIEW: ‘Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen,’ Issue #3

Charles HartfordBy Charles Hartford02/26/20203 Mins ReadUpdated:04/13/2023
Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #3
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #3

Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #3 is published by DC Comics, written by James Tynion IV, art by Steve Epting and Javier Fernandez, colors by Nick Filardi, and letters by Travis Lanham. With several Justice Leaguers now under the thrall of The Batman Who Laughs, Luther finds himself in a tight pinch. Until a would-be savior appears that is. Though when the Joker comes to save you are you truly better off?

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

With the last issue ending on the reveal that numerous members of the Justice League had allowed themselves to get infected by The Batman Who Laughs’ Joker Toxin, through nothing more than poor disease prevention measures, the plot was already showing signs of struggle. This issue only increased those concerns for me.

Adding to the apparent newfound ineptitude of the League’s ability to interact with contagious individuals, is a newfound sense of cowardice. After all how else does one describe a room full of super-powered heroes panicking in fear because someone is firing a tommy gun at them? And no, the fact that it’s the Joker pulling the trigger doesn’t help the cause any. This feels like sloppy writing purely for the sake of expediting the plot. No group of six Leaguers should ever be able to get run to ground by a simple assault rifle.

Once Lex and Joker effect their escape from The Hall of Justice, the bulk of the issue is dedicated to Luthor using knowledge, or maybe just inspiration, gleaned from the Joker’s mind to devise how he’s going to defeat The Batman Who Laughs. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure why Lex needed Joker. He doesn’t really seem to do much of anything. This was a solid disappointment for me. To be honest, I’m not a fan of the Joker. I feel like his importance in the grand scheme of the DC Universe is constantly overstated. But here, it seemed like he could serve a genuine purpose perhaps only he could perform. But, it seems instead he is trotted out to be the laughing twisted villain whose only purpose is to be cruel to things, make some unfunny jokes, and be all “crazy.”

The art in Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #3 is fine. Epting and Fernandez give a solid performance, providing a clear presentation for the book’s narrative. The sequence within the Joker’s mind is a visual stand out for this issue. With plenty of psychedelic imagery to give the unhinged feel, without simply resorting to twisted imagery or scenes of violence.

A final note on the visual presentation has to be made about the lettering. Overall, Lanham does a good job of using fonts to present the different tones of the characters’ voices. This is most notable with the various Infected characters using a font type that just makes every word feel like a snarl. This approach, however, goes too far with the Batman Who Laughs. While the same font is used for him as his minions, his text is red on black backgrounds. With the combination of colors and font, I found his bubbles sometimes a struggle to read. Not unreadable by any means, but less than what I’d expect.

When all is said and done Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #3 is a bit of a stumble. Narrative shortcomings and missed opportunities weigh down this book considerably. Hopefully, next month’s conclusion will be able to deliver a substantially better pay off.

 Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #3 is available on February 26th wherever comics are sold.

Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #3
2.5

TL;DR

When all is said and done, Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #3 is a bit of a stumble. Narrative shortcomings and missed opportunities weigh down this book considerably.

  • Buy via ComiXology Affiliate Link.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Jennika,’ Issue #1
Next Article REVIEW: ‘Invisible Man’ Will Shake You to Your Core
Charles Hartford
  • X (Twitter)

Lifelong geek who enjoys comics, video games, movies, reading and board games . Over the past year I’ve taken a more active interest in artistic pursuits including digital painting, and now writing. I look forward to growing as a writer and bettering my craft in my time here!

Related Posts

Absolute Green Lantern Issue 5

REVIEW: ‘Absolute Green Lantern’ Issue 5

08/06/2025
Absolute Superman Issue 10

REVIEW: ‘Absolute Superman’ Issue 10

08/06/2025
Cover of Cheetah and Cheshire Rob the Justice League Issue 1

REVIEW: ‘Cheetah and Cheshire Rob the Justice League’ Issue 1

08/06/2025
Cover art for advanced review of Batman Issue 2

ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘Batman’ Issue 2

08/02/2025
Cover art from Batman Issue 1

ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘Batman’ Issue 1

07/31/2025
Justice League: Dark Tomorrow Special Issue 1

REVIEW: ‘Justice League: Dark Tomorrow Special’ Issue 1

07/30/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Still from Shin Godzilla
8.5
Film

REVIEW: ‘Shin Godzilla’ Is More Relevant Than Ever

By Sarah Musnicky08/16/2025Updated:08/17/2025

It is understandable how Shin Godzilla succeeded at the box office nearly a decade ago. The strength of its story still stands today.

Botanical Bliss Update Palia But Why Tho 5 News

Palia’s New Botanical Bliss Update Brings New Flora, Decorations, And Quest Mechanic

By Matt Donahue08/18/2025Updated:08/18/2025

The Botanical Bliss update adds new event, more plushes, and a host of quality-of-life improvements and more to celebrate 2 years of Palia.

BOOTS Netflix First Look promotional images News

First Look at Coming-of-Age Story BOOTS, Coming to Netflix This October

By But Why Tho?08/17/2025

Netflix is reporting for duty this fall with the new eight-episode series BOOTS, a comedic drama starring Miles Heizer and Vera Farmiga

Nuestra Magia Secret Lair Art Interviews

EXCLUSIVE: How The ‘Nuestra Magia’ Secret Lair Found Its Identity And Raised Over $1M

By Kate Sánchez08/15/2025Updated:08/15/2025

We spoke with Ovidio Cartagena about Magic: The Gathering’s Nuestra Magia Secret Lair drop, its impact, and the real treasure within.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here