Part three of four of the Juice Squeezers came out, and things are heating up before the series reaches its conclusion. In issue three, Billy is finally invited to join the team and Lizzy is caught by surprise with the new addition. Billy is also caught by surprise to find out that Lizzy is in the team, and he is a bit upset that she never told him what she was really doing. Lizzy feels bad for not telling Billy earlier, and Billy feels betrayed by Lizzy’s secrecy. Meanwhile the team is informed by Dr. Rivaldi of a new poison that her team has been working on that could finally get rid of the bugs. The only thing that is missing for the poison to be deployed is enough information to pin point the main lair of the bugs. Meanwhile Eric, who is jealous by all the new attention that Billy is getting from the team and Lizzy, that he decides to give the new recruit an initiation. Eric forces Billy to go underground and find his way to the other side of the underground maze. The catch is that Eric added a centipede to the mix to see how Billy thrives under pressure. Lizzy finds Eric and questions why he is treating Billy so bad. Also, the search to prove if Kettleborn is really Marko’s father continues and the boys believe that they found some compelling evidence to prove that maybe Kettleborn is Marko father.
This issue of Juice Squeezers was good, but it wasn’t perfect. The introduction of Billy to the team right at the start of the issue was a surprise, but it felt rushed at the same time. In issue two, there was a discussion to bring him to the fold and while there were some good points brought up by the kids to add him, at that point it was still in the discussion phase. In issue three, he magically gets integrated, but there is no real explanation as to why he gets in the team. Aside from that minor issue, the book is still very strong.
The book has tons of development, and reveals that sets up the stage for the final issue, but what makes this book very charming is the interactions between the children. Lapham does a great job of getting the tone and dialogue of the kids just right and where you really appreciate the dialogue and tone is in Billy and Lizzy relationship.
As for the art in the book, the art is still great in this book, its one of my favorite part of the book. Like I said in my previous review, the art is cartoony, and it feels like I am watching Saturday morning cartoon. Overall Juice Squeezers #3 had a couple of problems, but it was still a great read with some great art, and a good setup for the final issue.
Score: 4/5
Writer/Artist/Creator: David Lapham Colorist: Lee Loughridge Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 3/5/14