There is just only one way to say this; this comic is brilliant. I thought the tension in issue #2 was building but that is nothing to what we see in #3. Most readers will have troubling putting this issue down. It is packed with a lot of information. Finally, everything is coming together. It seems that Pepper is learning of Arcadia’s moves, Binetti shows his true colors, Coral is on the run, and there is still this big mystery surrounding it all; how did someone die in Arcadia? The Meat, or rather just Pepper, is paranoid. He asks on a friend for help, but I don’t know how Pepper trusts anyone. I wouldn’t. Although his resources are limited so it probably isn’t a matter of trust. Plus, hands down, I would trust the biggest liar I know over Arcadia and its band of robots. I don’t know where Pepper will go from here. Is he just trying to make the best of things or does he wish Arcadia to be wiped out? Let me know what you think because there is no way this dude is just ok with a copy of himself running around. I feel like there is only so much he can do though... being human and being in Alaska isn’t exactly ideal in this world.
I still think the most interesting story lies within Pepper’s kids. Coral is still at school but it is pretty obvious that someone from Binetti’s team is going to pick her up soon. Giacomo has already been tried to but luckily got away. I don’t know why their stories are so good, but in this issue it becomes more clear. Giacomo has powers. We don’t know the extent of them but we found that out in issue #2. Coral, although doesn’t have powers we know about, is the connection. She knows Pepper, so I would hope that all of them form a team. But then again, it leads me all back to some confusion of Pepper. His children aren’t humans. They are part of Arcadia. So does he want Arcadia wiped out, or will he have to make a choice? Probably the latter.
There are other stories going on, but the last one I want to focus on is Lee’s. He is the robot of Pepper. And he is trying to corporate with Binetti to take down Pepper, remember he is accused of killing the member of Arcadia. Deep down, I don’t think Lee is even believing the bullshit that Binetti is giving. Lee, as much as you want to hate him, seems like a reasonable person. He cares for his family and happens to wrapped up in all of this because of Pepper.
It amazes me how well Alex Paknadel balances all these stories together. You keep thinking that his plot stamina will not last, but this issue did a smoothing out of sorts. It allowed for the plot to interconnect into some more basic stories, so my guess would be the cycle continues into layering of stories and then smoothes out into a clear goal and then builds up once again. This could a hell of a journey.
Arcadia has come out blazing with its first three issues. You can’t go wrong with Paknadel’s plot. There is a great science fiction story unfolding here that many will enjoy. The ending or even the next issue is so unclear that you can’t help but intrigued with everyone’s story.
Score: 5/5
Arcadia #3 Writer: Alex Paknadel Artist: Eric Scott Pfeiffer Publisher: BOOM! Studios Price: $3.99 Release Date: 7/1/15 Format: Ongoing, Print/Digital