Blackbird #3 Immerses Readers In A Magical World

After two issues of character building, Blackbird #3 takes a different approach, leading towards a deeper mythology in the series. It continues a building one of the best creator owned stories this year.

Sam Humphries, Jen Bartel, Paul Reinwald, Triona Farrell & Jody Wynne continue their story in this issue with a deeper dive into the larger world of the story. It includes some revelations of both the paragons, and what Nina’s role in it might be.
Nina and Clint find themselves fighting a wicked Paragon, Adrian. Nina shows her own innate power might be greater than either of them realize, which leads to Clint letting her into their world. But to his great shock, there might be even more to Nina than anyone might know, even Nina herself!

Humphries is able to balance a deep dive into mythology with the character moments that have made the story great so far. The first few and last few pages are both emotional gut punches. In between, we find out a lot about the Paragons, their world, and even their politics. It’s a crucial step forward for the series as it advances.

Bartel, Reinwald and Farrell’s work is all fantastic. Reinwald’s layouts are inventive and fun, giving Bartel’s line work the room to shine. Bartel continues her exciting work, whether it’s a pair of sisters consoling each other in grief, Nina discovering her new reality, or the jaw-dropping cliffhanger of the end of the issue. This is all made better by Farrell’s breathtaking color work, which adds a layer of magic to Bartel’s excellent, expressive lines.

Image has been on a roll with fantasy the last few months, and this is still a shining example of that.
Blackbird #3 is available now from Image Comics.