REVIEW: ‘The Vigil,’ Issue #3

The Vigil #3 from DC delivers on the counterespionage and intrigue. Ram V brilliantly writes this episode of action, double crossing, and deception. Lalit Kumar Sharma lays out beautiful, easy artwork, with Sid Kotian on finishes (pgs. 7-10, 13-15, 18-20). Rain Beredo continues to color this corner of the DCU in its distinct earth tones and nature hues, while Dave Sharpe nails the placement of letters. So, the Vigil is India’s secret metahuman team of operatives that do not conform to DC’s typical band of do-gooders. They’re likely to kill somebody and to then keep it hush. The government sent agent Nia Saha in to assess their viability. This issue tackles her views, and the Vigil’s method of dealing with her.

Right from the first issue, Saha wasn’t trusted by the team. She’s an outsider, one who quickly pointed out flaws and asked too many questions of Dr. Sankaran. The end of issue #2 revealed Sankaran takes naked trips to La-La-Land or some weird dimension, so there’s a lot of whacky going on with the Vigil. But for now, let’s meet Saya, the team’s masked man. After waking up naked himself and surrounded by naked women, he leaves confused, lose, and weary. Regardless though, there’s a mission to perform. He heads to Agent Saha’s apartment in Mumbai while she sleeps and, using the mask, imitates her appearance and voice, and vanishes.

A parallel story then kicks off with Saha and the Vigil going on a mission to Cambodia to handle a secret research project dating back to the Second World War. Here she begins a communication with Mr. Lightless about the Vigil and whether or not they are reliable. Right from the jump, and as we’ve come to expect, her words are not kind. So far, V has shown us some very cool, but also very troubled, antiheroes. No one here is undamaged, except for maybe Dodge (because we don’t have her backstory yet.) This is a wonderful collective of messed up people making some very big decisions in this part of the world, with little oversight. Saha wants oversight. I doubt she’ll be able to get it.

Now, what Saya does while posing as Saha, and how the Vigil deals with the Cambodia op I leave you, dear reader, to find out. But I really enjoyed it. V is pacing things excellently, letting us get to know characters one by one. Last time it was Arclight. Now it’s a glimpse into Saya, and I’m hype for whatever we’ll learn later about Dodge, Castle, and Dr. Sankaran. Also, the threat in the op is an imaginative, very disturbing situation that I think called for this team to handle. I was left wondering how the JLA would have tackled it. Or the Suicide Squad.

Sharma and Kotian’s art is rock steady, capable of conveying scenery and characters with a precision that appears dialed back at the last instance. No one is overtly bulky or muscled. Figures are human, stable, the lines resolute. Beredo has found an earthen, warm set of colors to carry over from one issue to the next, and manages to let other colors beyond that range not overpower. I am loving the differences in skin tones among members. Sharpe’s letters are set old school, and this is really the overall tone and look of this issue and its predecessors. Like this was one of the best books of the 90s finally unearthed and unleashed on an unsuspecting, yet gratified, public.

The Vigil #3 offers a great story and tension along with strong characterization and art. Read The Vigil and make your geeky brain happy.

The Vigil #3 is available wherever comic books are sold.