Minor Arcana #3 Review

 

Writer, Artist & Colorist: Jeff Lemire

Letterer: Steve Wands

Cover Artists: Jeff Lemire, Frany, Gabriel H Walta & Jesse Lonergan

Designers: Tom Muller & Grace Park

Editors: Maya Bollinger, Eric Harburn & Matt Gagnon

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Price: $4.99

Release Date: November 13, 2024

 

Something is happening in Limberlost that defies Theresa’s understanding. Her first psychic reading for Jean Tremblay frightens Theresa. While she fled the insanity of the experience for the calming succor of bourbon, a beggar observed Theresa’s dilemma. He wondered aloud at the trials awaiting her, seemingly speaking with an invisible presence. What does fate have in store for Theresa? And can she do anything to prepare for the challenges ahead? Let’s grab our Tarot decks, leap into Minor Arcana #3, and find out!

 

Story

After returning to Limberlost, Theresa visited Melissa’s house. She watched her High School friend through the window. But the sight of Melissa’s husband banished any thoughts of a reunion. After leaving the Crown Tavern in Minor Arcana #3, Theresa walks toward Melissa’s house. Once, they were closer than sisters. Perhaps they can’t return to that earlier time. Still, Theresa needs Melissa.

 

Sadly, their impromptu 4 am reunion doesn’t go well. Instead, it reminds Melissa that her High School is a drama queen, and her husband drives Theresa home in a squad car. Brad’s concerns are less mystical than Theresa’s. Still, as Theresa hints at what she experienced, Brad admits that the world may extend beyond what he can touch and see.

 

Kelly McCabe introduced herself when Theresa couldn't face her mother. In Minor Arcana #3, Theresa returns to Stella's Café, and Kelly pours her a coffee. They weren't friends in High School, but they knew each other. Past events drove a wedge between her and Melissa, but Kelly seems interested in Theresa's dilemma. Admitting the truth to a friendly face makes clear what Theresa should do. Now that the alcohol has left her system, Theresa needs the courage to follow her instincts.

 

In Jeff Lemire's story, Theresa faces many battles. She struggles with an inferiority complex. Yet, as Brad admits, Theresa is capable and intelligent. She may have trouble letting people into her life, but Kelly seems willing to befriend her.

 

Perhaps the biggest struggle looming over Theresa in Minor Arcana #3 is her relationship with her mother. When she carved out her beliefs and outlook during her teen years, Theresa decided Vickie was a fraud. Yet, Theresa’s psychic experience clashes with her narrow definitions of reality. She can continue pushing away people and limiting her prospects. Or Theresa can take a page from Brad's book and open herself to new experiences, even if they defy reason.

 

Art

While two goth teens discover the uplifting magic of friendship in her memories, Theresa walks beneath glowing streetlights. Clad in her grandfather's old jacket, sweater, pants, and half-laced-up hightops, she knocks on Melissa's door. While Theresa's expression gravitates between anger, hopelessness, and pleading, Melissa's face remains an angry mask. Yet her hair hints at the same wildness as Theresa’s. Of the three, Brad’s face hints at amusement and concern. Perhaps it is his elfin ears. Still, he radiates peace and caring as the squad car rolls down the street beside the river and the cannery looms in the background.

 

Theresa's red and green jacket suggests the vitality she brings to Limberlost. Brad's blue uniform enhances the green and blue that defines the small town. In the red and purple psychic shop, Theresa clasps the crystal ball. It responds with a hint of yellow but no new revelation. In Stella's Café, Kelly's blond hair echoes the yellow energy that united Theresa and Melissa. Kelly's blue shirt echoes Brad's receptiveness, while her red pendant echoes the red in Theresa's grandfather's jacket. But amid the flowing watercolors of Minor Arcana #3, Jeff Lemire lavishes the most color on Theresa's reunion with Jean Tremblay.

 

Steve Wands conjures black uppercase letters into white dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. Frequent intonation emboldens and enlarges words. If Theresa’s pounding suggests a cry for help, the slam that makes Brad flinch feels like repudiation. Yet not all knocks will prove unwelcome in Limberlost. Thanks to Boom! Studios for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Theresa fights to throw off the shackles of her limited viewpoint and embrace a new outlook that will allow her to grow. Perhaps it’s not a religious experience. But in Minor Arcana #3, Theresa ponders the possibility of rebirth.

 

Rating 10/10

 

For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.