By Ashley Gibbs
Clue #3 marks the halfway point in this fun and colorful series based on the popular Hasbro board game of the same name. While the first issue acted as set up, the second put certain wheels into motion and here we see all of the characters are linked together by a certain flower. The and hows and the whys are still a mystery but everyone in the house, except for Ms. Scarlett and the detectives, see these flowers as very important and valuable. While all the details have yet to be shown to us or the guests, it’s clear Mr. Boddy was in no way just an innocent party host and the events happening in this series have been carefully crafted.
The surobi zinnia is a beauty purple flower that acts as the MacGuffin for this story. Last issue Prof. Plum and Dr. Orchid stumbled upon a greenhouse filled with them during their escape attempt. This time we’re shown that Coln. Mustard, Mr. Green and Sen. White all have knowledge of these flowers as well. This more than likely connects to the fact that Mr. Boddy had a blackmail room but we still don’t know what information he’s collected nor why everyone is linked to the flower. The issue felt rather short and while things were well-written and interesting, not much new information was given to readers to play with, unlike an actual game of Clue I really don’t feel too engaged or that I’m apart of the mystery. To add insult to injury, two whole pages are wasted on the butler breaking the fourth wall and arguing with the books editor. It’s cute but it wastes precious time and I am personally not a fan of fourth wall breaking, especially when it’s not funny.
With a story that has every character named after a color, it’s important that the pages pop and catch readers’ eyes. I really liked the use of colors this issue, and there were many notable standouts. One would be Plum and Orchid in the greenhouse, they both wear shades of purple to match their names and then they’re standing in a field of beautiful purple flowers, despite so much of the same color it creates a very vibrant scene. Another moment would be Mustard’s flashbacks, also featuring the flowers in question. There is a filter added that mutes the colors to show it’s in the past and it works very well with the mainly dark and gloomy war-torn country they’re in with lovely flowers standing out. The characters look good and there are a lot of facial expressions to go around that are well done. I also loved the panel layouts used, nothing in this book looks boring at all and I don’t have much criticism. While it’s not perfect this has been the best looking issue so far.
While I get a few laughs out of the series, so far I’m not enjoying it as much as I hoped. It’s a mystery that doesn’t really let readers play detective and it’s a comedy that isn’t really funny. Some moments are but the writing is a lot better when it focuses on being a bit more serious. While the twist ending for Clue #3 wasn’t shocking to me, it will hopefully open up more story opportunity in the two last issues. Right now, most of the characters aren’t being developed or focused much on and I only know the surface information for both which is a pity. I know it’s a short series but I hope everything ties together neatly and gives the characters more personalities; unless they’re just all cannon fodder.
Score: 4/5
Clue #3
Writers: Paul Allor
Artists: Neilson Daniel
Letters: Neil Uyetake
Publisher: IDW Publishing