by Kevin Gaussoin, Editor-in-Chief

So there we were, off in another dimension with a group of friends who were drawn spectacularly well as they hunt for the younger brother of one of their number. Will our heroes be granted magical powers by a sentient mushroom panda? Will they unleash hordes of huge malevolent aliens on their home dimension? Both?

Official Description:
Well, it wasn’t sentient mushrooms. Was it better or worse than that? You decide. Also? RUN.

*SPOILERS*
These issues go by so quickly! Yeah, we still don’t know how the hell Kelly Thompson, Mattia de Iulis, and the rest of this talented creative team are going to have enough pages to tell this obviously huge story. We only have two issues left and I feel like the version of this that would best fulfill my dreams of a pleasant journey would take several more at least. So I’m thinking this may end in a horrific tragedy. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya.

Look, we all read Kelly Thompson’s Eisner-winning Hawkeye series. We read West Coast Avengers (2018) and we were sad when it was cancelled. We read her Captain Marvel and her Deadpool issues. We were thrilled by her amazing Black Widow (2020) and so we’re pretty confident that the story is going to hold up here, but only 5 issues? This seems… ambitious.

Likewise, we’ve fallen in love with Mattia de Iulis’ art. He’s popped up in a bunch of books we’ve read, but his storytelling abilities probably shone brightest in Jane Foster Valkyrie and The Mighty Valkyries. I still love those comics and want more of them. Whenever you get around to it, but seriously, do more please.

So where were we? *SPOILERS*

Our heroes now face the transformed blue red panda, who gives them each powers, combining tropes from Link’s old man in the cave, to the Wizard of Oz, to Galadriel. Maybe. It could be all a ruse. When the panda gets to Cleo, it tells her it hasn’t seen her brother and then we find out that Cleo is different from her friends, broken inside, and the panda isn’t putting up with her broke ass. Cleo is to become THE CULL from The Cull.

So Lux uses her new Cyclops powers to blast the panda back into the forest, and the group heads back to the gate home. Will and Wade get to demonstrate their new powers in the escape, and then when they get through the gate… oh no. 

Just this past weekend I listened to Wil Wheaton read me The Kaiju Preservation Society (by Redshirts’ John Scalzi) and… oh no. 

This comic is too good to be this quick. This comic is too good to be this brutal. This comic will win so many awards.

Rating:
ComicsOnline gives The Cull #3 5/5 gifts from redpanda!Galadriel. 

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