REVIEW: ‘Almighty,’ Issue #3

With things going south at the end of the last issue, as Fale put a bullet into one of the local militia troops, she and Del need to get out of town fast. But before they can get out of their hotel room, trouble comes knocking. Unfortunately for them, they have no idea what Fale is capable of in Almighty #3, published by Image Comics, writing and art by Edward Laroche, colors by Brad Simpson, and letters by Jaymes Reed.

From the first time the reader is introduced to Fale, Larouche’s writing gives every indication that she is a woman not to be trifled with. While we’ve seen her flex her combat abilities to some extent in previous issues, Almighty #3 pops the cork and lets her truly run wild. And it is an impressive performance. As the Militia forces try to storm their hotel room, Fale remains calm, cool, and brutally effective. She even manages to keep Del’s head in the game by talking her through things in the midst of a raging firefight. But while Larouche makes her an impressive force in a fight, he knows not to make her unstoppable. Allowing her to be killable allows there to be danger and threat for the character still. Something that is important if the action is to carry weight.

The brutality of the combat throughout Almighty #3 is delivered fantastically through the art. Laroche doesn’t shy away from the blood, but it is also the facial reactions and body language of the creative’s subjects that sell the pain and horror of the sequence. Despite her recent captivity, Del is new to this level of violence, and Larouche handles her reactions to her protector’s abilities skillfully. Combining with Laroche’s brutal art is a simple but effective color job by Simpson. The coloring throughout the book’s gunfight always enhances the pain, danger, or rage of a given panel.

Another element of this book’s handling of its combat comes from its lettering. Or perhaps I should say the absence of it. While Reed does a good job with dialogue placement, I realized an absence of sound effect design throughout this book. Realizing this, I checked, and none of this series has sported the expected written sound effects that are synonymous with the comic medium. Honestly, I think it works. I love great sound design in my comics, but the omission of the expected aspect gives the action a seriousness that makes it stand out.

Once the shooting stops, the book follows its protagonists as it sets up the next leg of their flight. While it’s not surprising where the series will head next, given all the talk the place has had about it so far, all the ominous energy surrounding it has me eager to see if Laroche can deliver on all the foreboding that has been built up around it to date.

Almighty #3 kicks up the action as it shows off what Fale is capable of while keeping the character grounded as merely human. With this book’s ending, I’m eagerly awaiting what the next issue will bring.

Almighty #3 is available now wherever comics are sold.