Escape #3 Review

 

Writer: Rick Remender

Artist & Colorist: Daniel Acuña

Letterer: Rus Wooton

Cover Artists: Daniel Acuña & Greg Tocchini

Production Artist: Erika Schnatz

Editors: Gabe Diner & Iván Brandon

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: October 22, 2025

 

Milton never imagined going to war. Despite his rough childhood, he fulfilled his dream of buying a plane. But when Ruth and her father stumped for Walter Donovan in the same wheatfield where he ran his flight business, Milton offered her a ride. Years later, Milton is deep in Narenian territory. He lost his plane and his crew, and the bombs he dropped didn’t reach their target.

 

Milton knows he can't return home to Ruth. Still, he wants to safeguard his child's future and prevent the spread of fascism across the free world. Can Milton slip through the Narenian soldiers and reach his objective? Or did he sacrifice his crew and blacken his soul for nothing? Let’s put on our flight jackets, leap into Escape #3, and see!

 

Story

Milton prepped for this mission by defacing photos of Narenian soldiers. His best friend, Lieutenant Flynn, argued that most Narenian soldiers were like themselves: good people caught in a bad situation. But Milton sacrificed to be here because President Donovan described the Bats as an unstoppable force marching across their allies' homelands. Milton insisted no one could pressure him into something he didn't want to do. People who commit atrocities are monsters, full stop.

 

But when the Bats damaged his plane, Milton pressed on. And when Billy told him the Titan Cannon was in a heavily populated quarter, Milton dropped 'Ol Sockeye's bombs anyway. The bombs didn’t destroy the Narenian super weapon. But they leveled residential areas. In Escape #3, Milton slips through the ruined buildings and rubble-strewn streets. He tells himself that his opponents, even enlisted teens, are just animals. The Narenian soldiers are hungry for revenge. And they shout after him, "Child-killer!" But Milton doesn't understand their language.

 

Rick Remender's story is a desperate race through the night. It's pitch-black, with the buildings and street lamps under blackout conditions. Despite his promise to find Flynn, Milton's thoughts center on Ruth and their unborn child. Amid his desperate search for the Titan Cannon, Milton clings to the hope that his actions will protect his homeland.

 

In Escape #3, Milton inhabits a nightmare. He's done something he claimed he would never do if he were in the Narenians' shoes. But the soldier who once sought to find beauty in every moment can't focus on that. Instead, Milton focuses on killing everyone in his way until he can commit another act of violence that may secure peace.

 

Art

A Bat carrying a rifle appears in an opening in a wall. Instead of his captain's hat, a bloody bandage winds around Milton's head as he crouches behind the brickwork. While the Narenian's flashlight limits the Bat's vision, Milton sneaks up behind him. Out in the street, an officer’s head whirls when Milton and the soldier scuffle. Automatic gunfire illuminates a window in the darkened building.

 

Limited tones lend visibility to Daniel Acuña’s detailed penciling as Milton fights for his life. He scrambles and falls over piles of rubble. Bat ears poke through the helmets of Narenian soldiers clad in uniforms and capes. Officers wear long coats, carry larger rifles, and leave their heads uncovered. Blues, grays, and purples reveal characters amid the darkness, while guns blossom yellow, orange, and white. A trail of red alerts a guard, and later clouds the water, as Milton fights to reach his objective in Escape #3.

 

Rus Wooton fills ivory dialogue balloons with narrow black uppercase letters. Milton’s stream of consciousness appears in beige narrative boxes. As the Narenians’ dialogue appears within greater than and less than symbols, Milton discerns but one word amid the shouting. But when his enemy's utterances swell, turn crimson, and threaten to burst their balloons, Milton understands them perfectly. Sound effects accompany Milton’s desperate flight amid hand-to-hand fighting, and the volleys of bullets that are anything but 21-gun salutes. Thanks to Image Comics and Giant Generator for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

A war film and newsreel footage of his president declaring war inspired Milton to join the military. But by then, he had already sacrificed the life he enjoyed for the woman he loved. Before he met Ruth, Milton was the king of the skies. Now, he’s a war criminal, hoping to toss his life away to achieve a military objective. Escape #3 is a fast-paced action thriller that reminds us of the power of rhetoric and the cost of war upon the Human soul. 

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

For another cover option see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.