The title for this issue says a lot about the issue: Day for the Dead. The series has moved at a breakneck pace, but this issue slows down and allows the characters and the world to reset and breath for a moment. We begin with the two original victims being buried and then the wake at Addison’s house. Her friend we meet before comes and comforts her and we see a little of the Addison we meet briefly in the first issue. After that we learn the Grandpa’s backstory, but more importantly we learn something about the entire family that maybe they don’t even realize and they sure as hell don’t talk about. I don’t want to spoil it since there’s really only two big moments in the Grandpa’s backstory, the rest builds his character and establishes the world in which our story is set.
This is a very good issue because of the character moments. There’s a lot of backstory, but it’s actually important to the story. Especially when you get to the end. Mia Goodwin has crafted a strange story. It’s actually very creepy at times, especially towards the end when we see what everyone in the family has in common. When you really think about it and think about how comfortable and delusional the characters are… well it’s a strange book. One that I for one can’t get enough of.
The art continues to be fucking amazing. Goodwin’s style is still very animated and she again doesn’t waste a panel. There’s a scene in which a character has an “oh shit” moment and the sequences is great. It feels as if all sound stops while he here’s a familiar sound and then he drops his coffee mug and another character tries to grab it. It’s a very fluid sequence. Without spoiling it I will say that the final sequence involving Addison’s family was amazing and felt like a top down tilt that kept going from one character to the next like an episode of a TV show.
There’s too much to say about this issue, but that would steal the joy of reading it. I’m dying to talk to anyone about this so if you’re reading it let me know in the comments. If you skipped it because I used the term “magic girl genre” too many times previously, then have no fear. There’s a twist in this issue and while I still think it fits the genre, you don’t have to be put off by that. It’s a hell of a drama, thriller and overall a really fucked up story. Sometimes, fucked up stories are the best and Tomboy is proving to be such a tale.
Score: 5/5
Tomboy #3 Creator: Mia Goodwin Publisher: Action Lab/Danger Zone Price: $3.99 Release Date: 2/3/16 Format: Print/Digital