REVIEW: ‘Origins,’ Issue #3

Origins #3 is published by BOOM! Studios, written by Clay McLeod Chapman, with art by Jakub Rebelka, colors by Patricio Delpeche, and letters by Jim Campbell. As Chloe struggles to save David from his wound, her mind wanders back to other times he was so harmed, as well as the questions these moments brought them. But with the last human clinging to life, what unlikely source will bring David back from the brink?

A timely rescue on the part of a lost colony of robots waiting 900 years for a human to serve is easily transformed into so much more than a convent plot point in Origins #3. Which, if you have indulged in the previous entries in this series, will come as no surprise. As the robots nurse David back to health, writer Chapman utilizes the recovery period to delve more into Chloe, David and the nature of how last issues events have changed them both.

With David’s newly restored memories, he is suddenly aware that he was a key fixture in creating robotic life. This whole colony that has welcomed him like a messiah is his doing. And while he has the memories of these things, he isn’t the person who did them, whatever his genetic markers may claim.

This curious introspective on the nature of memory and the self is, as always, told through the lens of Chloe. As the one who has been serving David all his life, David’s struggles with what his past life did and the implications with how that may affect their relationship clearly weigh heavily on her mind. She is not a simple machine, but nor is she human. In a way, she is singular as David himself. What is the phrase? Let’s be lonely together. Yeah, that seems to fit right now.

Sadly, however, the quiet moment of retrospective cannot last forever. There is a quest that needs doing. And a reminder coming of its dire urgency.

The art of Origins #3 adapts to the changing scenery of the story nicely. Moving from the lush, overgrown wilds to the makeshift robot city goes smoothly and brings the new elements into the story in a way that feels natural. But my favorite aspect of Rebelka’s art is the focus it always keeps on Chloe.

Just as Chloe’s point of view is always central to the narrative, she is virtually always the visual center of any panel she appears in. This effect keeps Chloe in the reader’s mind first and foremost, as she should be. The strong color work of Delpeche furthers this effect. With the colors implemented through the book, Chloe is almost always the brightest element in the panels. Even when a scene has her in some shading level, it is all but certain anyone else will be even more heavily shadowed.

Wrapping up the visual delivery is another strong letter job on the part of Campbell. The story runs smoothly through the panels, effortlessly guiding the reader along thanks to the professional level of letter work implemented here.

Origins #3 delivers a quiet moment of retrospective. As both Chloe and David struggle to come to terms with what they are, they are reminded that they do not have the luxury of time to get it all settled between them. With the last pages of this issue, I feel pretty confident next month will not afford them any more time for contemplation.

Origins #3 is available now wherever comics are sold.