First things first: the pink rifle makes me laugh. This is a really chill issue, so if you’re hoping that Rebel will use that rifle in fray…calm down.

Alt-Hero #3 picks up where issue #2 left off. We learn more about the American crew of — what are they? Heroes? Mutants? I’m unsure of what they’re called or what to call them.

Our ragtag band of misfit heroes, if you will, find themselves in a position to make Moves (yes, with a capital M) against the trained, financed, coordinated global force we met in issue #1.

While less action-centered (and the action that did happen was more cloak-and-dagger stuff than hand grenades and explosions), this issue focused more on setting the plot pieces in place, and developed more of the characters. We visit more places, meet a few more people, and get to know more of the characters that we’ve met before, like Soulsight and Michael Martel.

The focus hovers primarily on Rebel, pulling in her family and looking at what makes her tick (but not how she got her powers). Rebel and her family exude all the positive characteristics of a Southern family–gentility, that put-togetherness that Southern women have, a love for Johnny Walker and football, and a deep hatred of those damnYankees.

I like the art a lot more in this issue. You can really tell it’s improving–like 2 months in to a diet plan when you suddenly realize that your pants are loose. I really like the cross-hatching and inking on the panel above. The artist used a lot of silhouettes and shadows in this issue, which helped keep the visuals dynamic. And I was not even once confused about the correct order of the speech bubbles and panels. Miles ahead of issue #1!

And you know what caught my eye? The coloring. It’s not Dave Stewart of Dark Horse levels of greatness (not that I’m biased) (I am), but it’s really nice in this issue. Bright, but not garish. It has that masculine “I don’t care about colors” attitude, but with enough polish that the pages look cohesive. There’s some nuance and gradient, which takes off just enough edge.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Aside from a handful of favorites, I’m really not a comics person. I don’t plow through series and I find that the art style is really, really important to me. (And I like a more stylized art style than most superhero comics.) But I’m enjoying Alt-Hero. It’s fun. The issues are packed with interesting stories and characters. I’m never bored. The plotlines are relevant to real life, on a 1:1 level (fighting Antifa in the streets) but also on a symbolic level (we must use our unique strengths in the battle against evil).

It’s refreshing to finally (FINALLY!) have an entertainment venue that shares my values in the comics of Arkhaven and the books from Castalia House. The authors don’t go around covertly insulting me in the very show or movie or comic or book that I’m trying to like. I don’t have to sigh and look past Trump Derangement Syndrome. I can relax and enjoy, which is a lot of what I want from escapist entertainment.

I’m also inspired. I like this issue. It’s quiet, but it reminds us why we fight. Why we care. Why it’s important to do something to stand up against the evil in this world.

Easier said than done, but it’s a little bit easier with examples like Alt-Hero.

 

FYI I’m an Alt-Hero backer