The Peril of the Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery #3 Review
Writer: Chris Condon
Artist & Colorist: Jacob Phillips
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Cover Artists: Jacob Phillips; Tonči Zonjić; Dani & Mike Spicer
Back Matter Designer: Michael Tivey
Editors: Matthew Levine & Chris Conroy
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $3.99/$4.99 Card Stock
Release Date: April 22, 2026
In November 1941, a fascist regime is carving up Europe, and war hangs in the air over the United States. Ezra Cain knows how war can shake civilization to its core. He gave up a career in archaeology to serve his country overseas in World War I. Now, as a second World War erupts, his former professor worries about Mussolini and Hitler controlling a mystic relic he excavated twenty-eight years ago. So when the Anvil of Hephaestus goes missing from the New York Natural History Museum along with the security guard, Ezra interviews Professor John Morris and Rachel Meyer, the security guard's wife.
Rachel mentions that men called The Brutal Dark started harassing them after Karl Meyer visited a German Heritage meeting. So, Ezra visits the Clockmakers Union after dark. But as Ezra tries to find a way inside the locked building, a raven caws a warning into the darkness. Can the private detective evade the people who answer its call? Or will Ezra Cain seek the missing Anvil of Hephaestus nevermore? Let's leap into The Peril of the Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery #3 and see!
Story
After taking a beating, Ezra awakens in a dark room. Two men watch him. They know his name. And as they linger in the shadows, he cannot see them properly. With his hands bound and ignorant of their names, Ezra tries to gain leverage amid the situation.
The owner of the Clockworkers Union tells Ezra his name. Hans Huber also introduces his colleague, who attacked Ezra on the street while the raven cawed into the night. Hans orders Gotz to release Ezra. When Ezra admits he's a veteran, Hans attempts to build camaraderie. He also fought in the Great War. But while suggesting that he is a public benefactor for wounded veterans, Hans and Gotz use a language Ezra doesn’t understand.
In The Peril of the Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery #3, Ezra discovers that Karl Meyer, who went missing along with the anvil, is alive. But the man speaks in short sentences, as if drugged, or a mindless automaton like the German soldiers who pursue Ezra in his dreams. And before Gotz shows Ezra out, Hans warns Ezra not to return.
In Chris Condon's story, memories of the war plague Ezra's sleep. Interacting with his former NYPD colleagues on his cases can also be a nightmare. While Mack, who asked him to investigate Karl Meyer's disappearance, still respects him, others accuse Ezra of worse than disloyalty. Ezra has sacrificed to protect his country and protect the inhabitants of New York, regardless of their history or socioeconomic status. Still, a painful decision returns to haunt him in The Peril of the Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery #3.
Art
When he awakens, a hanging lightbulb illuminates the wooden table before him. Panels merge as Ezra speaks with a man in the shadows. Hans Haber smiles as he leans over his captive. His smile widens as Gotz removes the rope from Ezra’s hands. After Gotz departs, silhouettes enter and approach. Karl Meyer clutches his gloves to his chest. When Ezra addresses Karl, Gotz places a hand on the engineer’s shoulder. Karl’s dull, inward expression only enlivens as Gotz pushes him out of the room.
As Jacob Phillips wields a nuanced palette in The Peril of the Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery #3, colors change quickly in the dim lighting. When Hans' suit changes from blue to green, the same color fills the wall behind Ezra. Orange flames burn in the background as Gotz yanks the ropes off Ezra's hands. As Hans sits with Ezra before a black arch, green, red, orange, and white play across the brick wall, evoking a mountain view of the fatherland. The colors grow stronger and less nuanced outside, as blue fills the night, yellow headlights glare in the darkness, and orange surrounds life.
Black uppercase letters that grow bold for intonation fill off-white balloons. Raised voices and heightened emotions enlarge words while deforming balloons and arrows. Smaller lowercase letters accompany lowered voices. Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou also shows dialogue as off-white letters amid the darkness. As a splash of red recalls a framed photo on Ezra's desk, sound effects help readers hear a creaking door, a ringing phone, and a knockout punch. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.
Final Thoughts
Ezra Cain shrugs off compliments and acts like nothing bothers him. But when he sees injustice, he acts. As he searches for the anvil that Hephaestus used to forge the weapons of the gods, Ezra Cain discovers that Karl Meyer, a talented engineer, is working for a man who makes artificial limbs.
Ezra doesn't know whether Hans Huber is building an army of automatons like those in Hephaestus’ temple or merely providing replacement limbs for veterans. But as he strives to protect and serve as a private investigator, Ezra feels how much his principles, integrity, and compassion have isolated him in The Peril of the Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery #3.
Rating 9.6/10
To look inside, see my preview of The Peril of the Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery #3.
For what happened last time, see my review of The Peril of the Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery #2.
For how this series began, see my review of The Peril of the Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery #1.
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