When we left the Latimer crew, they had just jumped out the window of the police department. They land in a fountain and are immediately swarmed by… reporters. A mystery man helps Zoe and Josiah disappear, and there are strange but significant words on peoples’ foreheads, but “answering such things takes a certain magic out of it.” More questions to add to the list. We do learn that Francis the manservant was created by the Latimers to protect the children- or, to protect the “most prized possession,” which is apparently Josiah.

Francis leads the police department in searching for the children, but instead they find another pair of Latimers, guarded by their own manservant, Ezra. Ezra and Francis duke it out for a bit, but they’re interrupted by Hank and Gail Latimer, who reveal that something called the Lilin is after Josiah. The most prized possession indeed.

Meanwhile, Zoe and Josiah are back at their home, searching for their father’s love letters in the hopes of finding some answers. They separate for a bit, to search in different places of the house, and Zoe realizes too late that Josiah is being attacked- strangled by some spooky demon or other. We’ve lost our prized possession.

Goners continues to be a rapid adventure, zooming from one place to another, even jumping across various time periods and generations of Latimers. The reality tv aspect is on point, and the supernatural elements don’t feel far-fetched or out of place. Throughout everything, we don’t forget that Zoe and Josiah are still children; they are followed by supernatural creatures and reporters alike, and yet they remain painfully young. It just makes the ending that much worse to witness.

Goners #3 was wonderfully frantic, urgent, and intense; between racing to get answers and fighting to stay alive, this issue had a lot of solid action and characterization. The plot thickens, and our youngest is dead. I’m sad to say goodbye, though I’m eager to find out why Josiah was a target and such a prized possession. Goners has been perfectly cryptic, but it’s a fun ride.

Score: 3/5

Writer: Jacob Semahn Artist: Jorge Corona Publisher: Image Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 12/17/14 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital