Previewing ‘Smash!’ #3: The Cross-Time Heist Caper Comes To An End

by Richard Bruton

The Spider’s exploits continue in the finale of this three-issue heist romp that’s taken us across time and included all the wonderfully weird of Brit comics.

So far, this brilliant three-parter masterminded by Paul Grist has gathered together something of a who’s who of Brit comics’ characters, all around a fabulous action-packed heist romp with the King of Crooks, with the Spider right at the centre of things.

The first two issues have been pretty much non-stop and plenty of fun, as first the Spider came up against Jane Bond and The Steel Claw in issue 1, before finding himself at the mercy of the rogue AI Max and experiencing the horrors of the thirteenth floor, all down to a mystery demon trapped in a stone idol by Janus Stark back in Victorian times.

Now, we’re wrapping things up with The Spider in 2023 having to contend with two more famous names of Brit comics – Adam Eterno and Cursitor Doom, in the lead-off tale that’s beautifully illustrated by VV Glass.

We open with a lovely bit of playfulness in Grist’s writing as two of the biggest egos of Brit comics, the Spider and Cursitor Doom, have a showdown before we have the appearance of Adam Eterno before things come a cropper with Tina Kelly, daughter of Tim and holder of the Eye of Zoltec and the unleashing of the demon in the stone idol.

Sure, there’s plenty of ridiculously fast and hugely enjoyable action but the best of it comes with the characterisation and dialogue that Grist gives to it, characterisation that goes all the way through into Glass’ expressive detailing. It’s a perfect balancing act of celebrating and playing up to the whole ridiculousness of some of these great characters from Brit comics gone by and giving us an end to the wonderfully fast-paced romp that we’ve been enjoying.

Like I said, this one’s just been a hell of a lot of fun. For those who remember the characters, Grist and the artists involved, Tom Foster, Anna Morozova, Jimmy Broxton, and VV Glass, have done a grand job of things. But more than that, if you’re new to the wonderfuuly strange stuff that’s offered up by these Brit heroes of old, this has been not just a perfect introduction but a really great stand-alone tale.

The back-up strip this time is something equally fun, Cursitor Doom and the Astonishing Jason Hyde: King For A Day from Maura McHugh and Andreas Butzbach, reprinted from the SMASH! Special from 2020. It’s the first time these two investigators of the strange and arcane meet for the first time, and it’s a darned fine back-up to finish things off.

SMASH! #3 – published by Rebellion and The Treasury of British Comics on Wednesday 20th December

Contains the stories – THIEVES LIKE US– written by Paul Grist, art by VV Glass, letters by Simon Bowland andCURSITOR DOOM AND THE ASTOUNDING JASON HYDE: KING FOR A DAY– written by Maura McHugh, art by Andreas Butzbach, letters by Oz Osborne