This comic has found its story telling groove now. Orphan Black #3 gives us scenes sandwiched between things we know from the show. What's nice is that they are leaning away from just giving us rehashed things from episodes we've already seen. I know it's important for people that haven't watched the show, so they have some grounding for what they are being shown. But I still wonder how many people are buying this comic that don't already watch? This issue is about Allison, the housewife clone, who has arguably the more interesting story-lines. Sarah and Helena get to do the ass-kicky stuff, Cosima is relegated to science geek and Rachel gets to be a Mega-bitch. Allison is the more normal of the clones, well at the beginning she was, now she has fallen down the rabbit hole (in this season she is now dealing drugs). I've enjoyed her take on the crazy things that happen in the show.
My favorite thing from last season was her conflict with her husband and sobriety. This issue deals with her internal conflict about Donnie maybe being her monitor. As much as this is the 'Allison' issue, the best parts are about Donnie. It's nice to see how they met, got together and became a family. It also shows us how Donnie was recruited by Dr. Leekie, to watch his Allison, which led to one of my favorite moments from last season (the one where Donnie confronts Dr. Leekie and then Pulp Fictions him, think Vincent Vega in the car).
Orphan Black #3 sees two new artists and a different colorist. This issue definitely feels cleaner, less sketchy, and fresher. Not that I disliked the previous artists style, in fact I thought the style really suited the characters. As does this change, it makes this issue feel very Allison-y. Especially the cute pink thought boxes with white cursive text.
I like how the issues wrap up in a natural way that introduces the next character. This leaves us on a natural progression into the next issue, which will read very well in a trade paperback. As always I'm looking forward to when the comic can tell its own stories, even if it's only to bridge the gap between seasons. For right now though it is nice to get a little more background on events in the Orphan Black world.
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Orphan Black #3 Writer: John Fawcett and Graeme Manson and Jody Houser Artist: Alan Quah and Cat Staggs Colorist: Chris Fenoglio Publisher: IDW Publishing Price: $3.99 Format: Ongoing, Print/Digital
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