Okay, I’m tired of comparing Oxymoron to the Joker. Mostly because with this issue Oxymoron transcends the very character he was created in homage to. Simply put, Oxymoron is everything the Joker should be and can’t be because he’s too popular of a character for DC. He makes them too much money. So even though he should be a sick and terrible character that strikes fear into people’s hearts… he’s not. He’s just a “cool” character for everyone to enjoy. To continue my comparison of both characters for just a minute more, the creators of this comic take this opportunity to basically address everything wrong with the paragraph I just wrote. We’re fans of the Joker! He’s killed countless people and given the opportunity would kill you if it amused him. Oxymoron addresses that very mindset in this issue and I damn near clapped. I almost put the comic book down and fucking clapped.
Thank you Tyler James and John Lees for producing one of the best comics I’ve read all year. I wish that Tyler hadn’t you know… done stuff to Oxy in Red Ten, but hey that hasn’t stopped them from telling a lot of great stories with the character since.
In this issue… oh my god so much happens. Parents, maybe read this before giving it to a kid. In fact, have someone without kids read it before you read it, to see if you can even handle it. Personally, it’s a shocking issue for many reasons, but it didn’t make me cringe or anything. It was just a natural progression for the characters.
I will tell you what’s revealed in this issue, but I won’t tell you the answers. Oxymoron’s obsessions with our main character Mary. What happened to Mary’s partner and why she’s blamed for his death. Oxymoron’s relationship with the news reporter. People die… their deaths will be revealed to you.
I really don’t see the point of telling you anything else about the story. I’m not joking that this is one of the best comics and series I’ve read all year. It has been an absolute delight in an otherwise bleak 2015. With only one issue left you should catch up. Remember that ComixTribe is an independent publisher and that doesn’t guarantee that there will be a trade right around the corner.
I’ve had some exposure to Alex Cormack’s artwork recently and I just have to say that he’s doing some great work. His work on this series has been absolutely great. I love the exaggerated smile on Oxymoron’s face. We can see inside his entire mouth and while that’s humanly impossible, it looks so freaking great on the page as it adds terror. There’s a scene that’s made to look like a camera screen and it’s very believable. Especially when Oxy picks up the camera and moves with it. It really helps the scene visually so while I’m not really a fan of the device, it works here.
I read this issue twice. There’s so much that happens that you might find yourself doing the same. I’m really impressed by just how much they’ve been able to cram into each issue without it being noticeable. I don’t know what the finale can possible hold for us. I haven’t been able to guess this series for shit and that’s been a part of the fun. Whatever the creative team has in store for us, I have a feeling it’s going to be great.
Score: 5/5
Oxymoron: The Loveliest Nightmare #3 Story: Tyler James & John Lees Artist: Alex Cormack Colorist: Jules Rivera Publisher: ComixTribe Price: $3.99 Release Date: 11/11/15 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital