Review: Putting The Pieces Of This Broken Man Together In ‘Colonel Weird: Cosmagog’ #3

Colonel Weird is bouncing through time, visiting his own past and reliving key moments of his life all while trying to figure a way out. It’s no wonder his mind seems shattered. He’s moving from his childhood to his first steps into space that set him down this path, to his fight with the Anti-God and more.

Although this might sound difficult to follow, it’s anything but. Writer Jeff Lemire centers the story on Colonel Weird, so despite his jumps through time and space, he’s still moving in a linear direction. It’s an interesting effect that works to guide us through this story. I’m still not entirely sure how this will all play out, but it’s fascinating to witness.

Artist Tyler Crook is the perfect person to illustrate Weird’s tale. His style meshes well with the story and how it moves through the past, present, and future. When Weird makes those moves, he seems to disappear. His body melts away in a somewhat unsettling fashion. Then you turn the page and he’s somewhere – and somewhen – else.

All the while, there’s a sadness in the man’s eyes, particularly in the older version. He’s seen quite a lot in his time and it’s changed him. It’s affected him deeply. More importantly, he’s lost so much. There are some absolutely heartbreaking scenes as Weird encounters his first love, Eve. There are mentions of her disappearance so I have to wonder what happened to her and if the Colonel was involved. I don’t think he did anything maliciously or intentionally, but maybe he tried to pull her along on this ride and she got lost somewhere along the way.

I love the contrast between the bright, wide-eyed young Weird and the broken old man. This is what makes this book such a great read. I have to find out how the former became the latter. Crook gives the elder Weird a light, yet shaky voice, as if he’s afraid of breaking anything by speaking. He’s uneasy about where he is and what he might witness next.

Crook distinguishes each time of Weird’s life with a unique color palette. This, coupled with the change in the character’s appearance makes it very easy to follow these jumps and keep up with the story.

As with most of these Black Hammer spin-offs, Colonel Weird: Cosmagog is an intriguing character study. This one takes us through time and space in a unique and compelling way. I’m unsure as to how this will all come together and that’s certainly part of the enjoyment. This is uncharted ground and totally unpredictable. It’s what makes this comic and the entire Black Hammer Universe such a stand out in the super hero genre.

Colonel Weird: Cosmagog #3 from Dark Horse Comics is currently available at your local comic shop and digitally through ComiXology and Amazon Kindle.