• Home
    • Comic Reviews
    • Comics To The Maxx
    • Comic Bastards Podcast
    • CBMFP
    • News
    • Press Releases
    • Interviews & Exclusives
    • Manga Reviews
    • Anime Reviews
    • Super S - Anime Podcast
  • Reviewers Wanted!
  • Super S - Anime Podcast
  • Comic Bastards Podcast
  • Submit Your Comic For Review! (Now Open)
  • Search
Menu

Comic Bastards

  • Home
  • Comics
    • Comic Reviews
    • Comics To The Maxx
    • Comic Bastards Podcast
    • CBMFP
    • News
    • Press Releases
    • Interviews & Exclusives
  • Manga
    • Manga Reviews
  • Anime
    • Anime Reviews
    • Super S - Anime Podcast
  • Reviewers Wanted!
  • Super S - Anime Podcast
  • Comic Bastards Podcast
  • Submit Your Comic For Review! (Now Open)
  • Search

Review: Royal City #3

May 17, 2017

By Jonathan Edwards

I swear, with every new issue of Royal City, I read it, love it, and want more. Lemire does such a good job of setting and maintaining a tone that it hardly takes any effort to slip back into the same emotional space each month. Furthermore, he has a specific way of revealing information so that it informs about the characters and world while also generating further intrigue and follow-up questions. As far as I can tell, the "model" (if you want to call it that) tends to be something of a reversed order of events. We meet a character who's feeling a certain way or in a certain state of mind. Then, we slowly move backwards to find out the actual event that got them there. And after that, we uncover what led to that event. For example, Tara and her husband Steve have been at odds since the first issue, and with this one we finally learn what the cause of that was (I refuse to spoil it). And now, the question becomes "what else was going on before it that affected and led up to it?" It's really great stuff, and I can only presume it will all eventually lead back to finding out exactly what happened to Tommy Pike.

The Tara/Steve thing isn't all we get in terms of revelations either. A video from the YouTube channel Every Frame a Painting, which does analysis on a broad range of films and film topics, talks about the director David Fincher and how his relationship with exposition differs from others. Basically, it's suggested that Fincher derives strong drama from his characters learning new information, and I think Lemire does something similar with his characters finally admitting things to themselves or another. Functionally, it's still very much exposition, which is traditionally frowned upon. Although, as this issue shows when Pat seems Tommy in the diner, it carries a lot of emotional weight as well. Plus, I didn't even know I needed to know why Pat is having trouble writing his book until I learned the reason, and now I'm so glad that I did.

Also present in this one is the introduction of two new characters. Of them, Robert is of particular interest based upon the brief interaction he has with Patricia (side note: I'm just now realizing that Pat was, perhaps, named after his mother). Based on some of her dialog from previous issues, and what she says to Robert here, I have a pretty solid expectation of where Patricia's story might be moving. But at the same time, I'm expecting another Lemire curveball to come out of nowhere and, at the very least, take it somewhere unique.

I've already professed my love for Lemire's art in my reviews for both of the previous issues, and that's really not going to change any time soon. However, I will note, that there were some panels/pages that I didn't quite love as much with this one. And then, there were also some that I loved more than usual, so it all balanced out. And at the end of the day, it's going to take a lot more than a few instances of "this panel isn't quite as good as this other one that's really good" for me to do anything less than completely vouch for Lemire's work.    

I really don't have much else to say. This book is really good, and I'd thoroughly encourage anyone who hasn't checked it out to promptly do so. At this point, you might need to pick up some back issues to get the full experience or wait a few additional months and pick up the trade. Well, that or you could do what I'm going to probably end up doing and just buy all of it.

Score: 5/5  

Royal City #3
Writer/Artist: Jeff Lemire
Letterer: Steve Wands
Publisher: Image Comics

In Comic Reviews Tags Jonathan Edwards, Royal City, Jeff Lemire, Steve Wands, Image Comics
← Review: Rose #2Review: Red Sonja v4 #5 →

FEATURED POSTS

Featured
Review: Transdimensional #1
Mar 14, 2018
Review: Transdimensional #1
Mar 14, 2018
Mar 14, 2018
Review: Dragon Ball Super E.127
Feb 23, 2018
Review: Dragon Ball Super E.127
Feb 23, 2018
Feb 23, 2018
Comic Bastards Podcast - 018
Nov 1, 2017
Comic Bastards Podcast - 018
Nov 1, 2017
Nov 1, 2017
Super S - Anime Podcast E.037
Oct 29, 2017
Super S - Anime Podcast E.037
Oct 29, 2017
Oct 29, 2017
Super S - Anime Podcast E.036
Oct 14, 2017
Super S - Anime Podcast E.036
Oct 14, 2017
Oct 14, 2017

  • April 2018 142
  • March 2018 178
  • February 2018 169
  • January 2018 176
  • December 2017 112
  • November 2017 143
  • October 2017 152
  • September 2017 210
  • August 2017 179
  • July 2017 199
  • June 2017 150
  • May 2017 129
  • April 2017 184
  • March 2017 180
  • February 2017 176
  • January 2017 195
  • December 2016 164
  • November 2016 135
  • October 2016 163
  • September 2016 219
  • August 2016 248
  • July 2016 267
  • June 2016 242
  • May 2016 160
  • April 2016 199
  • March 2016 163
  • February 2016 145
  • January 2016 175
  • December 2015 105
  • November 2015 166
  • October 2015 130
  • September 2015 147
  • August 2015 135
  • July 2015 183
  • June 2015 190
  • May 2015 140
  • April 2015 275
  • March 2015 198
  • February 2015 430
  • January 2015 198
  • December 2014 144
  • November 2014 187
  • October 2014 239
  • September 2014 193
  • August 2014 289
  • July 2014 334
  • June 2014 308
  • May 2014 244
  • April 2014 253
  • March 2014 268
  • February 2014 232
  • January 2014 254
  • December 2013 302
  • November 2013 276
  • October 2013 349
  • September 2013 262
  • August 2013 325
  • July 2013 349
  • June 2013 303
  • May 2013 373
  • April 2013 416
  • March 2013 124
  • February 2013 16
  • January 2013 26
  • December 2012 24
  • November 2012 17
  • October 2012 18
  • September 2012 22
  • August 2012 13
  • July 2012 20
  • June 2012 12
  • May 2012 23
  • April 2012 20
  • March 2012 9
  • February 2012 20
  • January 2012 96
  • December 2011 93
  • November 2011 73
  • October 2011 52
  • September 2011 54
  • August 2011 37
  • July 2011 1

Listen To Super S p4.png
google-play-badge.png
Available on iTunes.png

 COMING SOON!

Copyright Comic Bastards 2011-2017