They’ve Come To Bargain: Reviewing ‘Strange Academy: Finals’ #3

There is no such thing as a dull day when one happens to be a student in a Marvel Universe magic school. Even with Gaslamp defeated and Calvin rescued and returned to the fold, numerous threats are still around ready to spoil a nice fair day at Strange Academy.

One of the strengths of Strange Academy was its attention to character over the eighteen issues of the first volume, fleshing these characters out to the point where they feel like they’ve been in the Marvel Universe for far more than their two years. This has continued into this second volume where various threads woven previously are coming together. In another book, the fact that this series jumps right over the cliffhanger from the previous issue and moves right into the aftermath might have been a bad move, but the aftermath and what the students do from it and become is far more interesting than seeing more of a fight with Gaslamp.

Skottie Young does so much within the normal length of these issues, making any issue feel like a double-sized denser affair. We get plenty of seeing the students having a more magical fun time, much like the cleaning/BBQ of the previous issue, as they run a fair to raise money towards repair of the areas of the French Quarter that were destroyed in their rescue of Calvin. All of that is fantastic, but the real jewel of this issue is Calvin and the three remaining students on the wrong side of the line drawn at the end of the first volume.

What a character arc Calvin has had, finding his space within the school even without magic as he’s had a full change after his friends risked everything to bring him back. It’s wild to witness our original protagonist/eyes into the series Emily so far into the darkness, even trying to drag Calvin back down by siccing the Mister Misery coat upon him once more. Their whole break away from the school was about the perceived “wrong” committed by Calvin’s expulsion (which came after he was dealing Gaslamp’s wishes on the student body), but here she is doing even worse when the rest of the student body who actually, in the end, had his best interest at heart when the chips were down.

Because this is a series that delves into such a deep level of character alongside the magical elements, there are lighter and darker elements intertwined at all times. Making sure that this is clear at all levels is an easy task for Humberto Ramos and Edgar Delgado in each and every issue to date.

First, there is the level of detail that Ramos brings to the pages, allowing us to see everything including perfect renditions of the characters that showcase their emotions and body language loudly. This is great since so much of the story rests upon those emotions/connections, often boosted by the stellar paneling choices that not only guide the eye along but allow those moments to slide together or exist alongside one another. It gives everything a level of movement and energy, breaking down the moments into panels that slide over one another or stack up so that moments feel like they are moving into one another rather than just statically existing.

These are characters that in many cases resemble people that we might know standing alongside those that are far more fantastical, and all of them share the space in natural ways. We have pages where the scope and focus feel lighter and more open, such as the fair moments, surrounded by those that are darker with a heavier weight, such as the trio coming for Calvin or the council meeting at the start. ‘

This is reflected in the color choice where Delgado comes in with a rougher more toned-down sort of color palate, with darker levels of vibrance to it. Shadows are everywhere, adding not only depth to the imagery, but casting the colors in a different light. Again, this is a magical fantastical superhero adjacent series, so there are plenty of colors that match this from reds and yellows and greens that pop out from the rest of the colors. Taking this tone for the palate also helps with the idea that the more fantastical elements are meant to stick out but also feel natural, because even when a so-called unnatural color, those characters, and elements still feel like they could belong to this world. It makes a character like Dessy feel other-worldly and terrifying in comparison to what we know about how she was before all this went down and the darkness took over.

This variety of characters and settings means a lot can be done with the lettering to match, and Clayton Cowles always delivers. Not only does it do what good lettering should, fitting on the page and flowing along in an easy-to-follow way, but it does it in the best way that captures the energy and emotion that should be on the page. We can hear the pain in Calvin’s words as he fights back against Mister Misery just like we can see the tone of others in their dialogue through little changes to the font. This includes the continuously fabulous choice to have bubbles and fonts that change for certain characters matching where they came from or just to give them a different style that is befitting of their origin or powers. All of it comes off as colorful as the rest of the artwork with the same energy and power, really selling so much about the characters and the world.

Strange Academy: Finals #3 is now available from Marvel Comics.