Writers: Curt Pires & Rockwell White
Artist: Alex Diotto
Colorist: Dee Cunniffe
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Cover Artists: Alex Diotto & Dee Cunniffe
Publisher: Image
Price: $3.99
Release Date: May 24, 2023
In the beginning, Rose read a book. The story captivated her. Late at night, her father finds her crouched beneath her bed covers, reading by flashlight. “Mija,” he says as he hugs her, “you are my twin.” Then masked men break into her home. Rose promises to protect her younger brother as the intruders attack her father. An attacker pulls her outside as gunshots pierce the night. What happens next? Let’s dive into Indigo Children #3 and find out!
Story
The men bring Rose to their employer. He says, “You are my daughter now.”
Years pass. Rose practices a song for the evening's festivities and hugs the man who now calls her “Mija.” Aided by British journalist Donovan and his Russian friend Nikki, Indigo Children Alexei and Fred prepare to crash the party. But our heroes won't celebrate her adoptive father's ascent to the presidency. They're coming to remind Rose of who she is, not who she's become.
As in previous issues, writers Pires and White provide ample dialogue to read. Yet they sprinkle facts sparingly in Indigo Children #3, forcing you to read on to fill in the blanks. Donovan and Nikki's banter punctuates Alexei and Fred's briefing and the presidential palace raid. We don’t learn why Director Rand and his organization have kept these four special people apart, but we see more of Fred’s extraordinary abilities and learn where the next issue may take us. We also see another Indigo Child—not one of the four who were brainwashed and lived in The Town That Is Not A Town--for the first time. I suspect he'll join them soon.
Art
Artist Alex Diotto packs 32 pages with 176 panels, averaging over five per page. Consider that two are single-page scenes, and one utilizes many tiny scenes as a background. Diotto composes pages with Old School rectangular panels, and characters rarely break panel boundaries. He leaves a few blank panels. Others lack backgrounds. Yet most deliver compelling outdoor scenes or well-appointed interiors. Of the latter, I particularly liked the panels showing Rose's brother clutching his teddy bear, the presidential palace interiors, and the confetti falling as she finishes her song. But I found the less complex scenes—such as the inked cityscape at sunset and the silhouettes showing an attacker striking her father--powerful too. Palace exteriors reminded me of True Lies, and scenes showcasing Indigo Five recalled Black Widow's activation in The Avengers. Lastly, Alex treats readers with an homage to one of history's most famous graphic artists.
Dee Cunniffe colors most scenes in Indigo Children #3 using a limited palette. The opening one is cast in orange, likening glimpses of Rose's past to sepia-toned photographs. He paints her memories indigo and those showcasing Fred's psychic abilities blue. Palace scenes receive a broader color range. But the final pages are so rich and vivid that you'll wonder: am I reading a preview for another series?
While Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou flirts with semitransparent dialogue balloons and tiny lowercase lettering, he does so sparingly. Black uppercase letters in white dialogue balloons or narrative boxes dominate. Alexei's psychic communication appears in white letters in indigo balloons, and Director Rand’s hologram speaks in black letters in blue balloons. He employs few sound effects in Indigo Children #3 while always making time and space transitions apparent.
Final Thoughts
Our heroes take on Secret Service agents to infiltrate an inauguration party and extract the brainwashed president’s daughter. Powerful drama, high-stakes action, and a worldwide conspiracy make Indigo Children #3 a compelling and entertaining read.
Rating 8.8/10
To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
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