Okay let’s go ahead and get it out of the way… it’s been a long ass time since this book was last out. It was a launch title for MonkeyBrain Comics and I will be completely honest… it was my favorite launch title. So much so that I don’t read any of the others anymore, but I’ve been waiting for The October Girl to return. I don’t know what happened to Matthew Dow Smith, but I’m going to imagine that he was swept up in work! It happens and really the more you get to know about this industry if a paying job comes up you take it. And can you blame anyone? Now granted that doesn’t excuse when big name creators do it on big name titles, but considering how damn good the first two issues of this series were… well I can’t blame anyone for swooping Smith up for more work.
Well what about this third issue?
It sucked me right back in.
I’ll tell you right now I didn’t give it a free pass. I mean the last two issues were longer than I can remember ago so any euphoric feelings have long since passed. So the fact that it sucked me right back in just goes to show that it’s a damn good story.
Just eleven pages and really nothing major happens. We pick up right where we left in issue two a big old monster looking Autumn in the eyes. There’s a wonderful narration from Autumn about a bird crashing into her head as a child and we learn a little about her father at the same time. Does the tale really have that big of a meaning? Will it play into the rest of the series? No, but it sucked me right back in. From there we learn that the big ole monster’s name is Fred as Barnaby rushes over and asks Autumn not to hurt him… not to hurt him. I feel like you’re not catching that, not to hurt him. Interesting to say the least.
Smith’s writing is wonderful. The characters are instantly intriguing to the point that you just want more character interactions. In fact the only problem with this story is that it’s eleven pages long. Now I know that’s the MonkeyBrain way and Smith manages to find a good story beat to end on, but therein lies the problem, it forces story beats. I’m all fine with changing the expectations of our reading, but eleven always seems abrupt. I’m left wanting more, but not in a satisfying way. Granted we’ve see that MonkeyBrain plays to the long con and collects its series in print, but in the meantime charge me more than a dollar and give me a few pages more. A good story is worth it.
The art and coloring remain superb on The October Girl and again the best thing about this story. It’s what makes the eleven pages tolerable as you soak in the cover and see the purplish-blue hue used on the rest of the issue. The world has personality instantly and I just can’t get enough.
If you don’t remember what happened in the first two issues of The October Girl then check your purchase history or if you’ve never checked out the series then why not get caught up. In fact starting now puts you at the advantage. The bottom-line is that this series has maintained its quality.
Score: 4/5
The October Girl #3 Writer/Artist/Creator: Matthew Dow Smith Publisher: MonkeyBrain Comics Price: $0.99 Release Date: 2/18/15 Format: Digital