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furious3
Kareem Ali 4.5

Furious #3

 

  • The good

    Effectively shows the motivations behind Furious's actions even more and showing her current mindset. Truly twisted antagonist created an interesting situation

  • The bad

    Not as effective in connecting Furious's actions to her coming to terms with her father's death.

  • The ugly

  • Furious #3 continues the story of Cadence Lark after her recent actions have resulted in public opinion swaying in her favor. Her celebrity status as Furious has now rivaled her celebrity notoriety as Cadence Lark, and she would feel relieved about this but she reflects on the events on her 21st birthday and how they changed her life. She recalls how her father was in a bar celebrating her birthday by himself and buying rounds for the other patrons until his card maxed out. He’s eventually recognized as Cadence’s father when she’s shown on television arriving at a club for her pre-planned birthday bash, and when she falls out of the car drunk already the recognition turns to scorn because of the view of him as a horrible father and Cadence’s current struggles. So he makes a vow that night that he would end things like he should have 14 years ago, and in a drunken stupor deliberately drives his car off an overpass committing suicide. And the only thing left behind was a note stating that Cadence deserved better. So even though Cadence wasn’t directly responsible for her father’s death she still carries that around with her 4 years later as if she was, and on her birthday promises that she’ll find a happy ending for all of her family who passed on before her. But with her mind focused on this guilt and her heart weighing heavy, can she put aside her own fears of failing and continue to help others with her powers or is she too vulnerable at this point in time to effectively respond to even the simplest call for help?

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    I really enjoyed the direction the second issue took and the character development that made Cadence a more rounded protagonist with a conflicted past that was easy to follow. The start of this issue capitalizes on that with the story of what happened to her father and once again it’s understandable how that would be a life-altering event. So when Cadence is flagged down while flying and contemplating her life by a man claiming he needed help rescuing his wife she’s more than willing to help him as part of her belief in rehabilitating herself. And the man seemed very off so it was a good thing she wasn’t completely naive in following him into a putrid apartment and considered the possibility of it being a trap. And this guy was truly a psycho with an intense hatred for women and already had at least two female corpses in his apartment, and after trapping Furious he wants to make her his next victim. And his “reasoning” is she’s a media created conspiracy to get women to believe they’re stronger than men and she’s not actually as strong as she’s been presented to be. This was intriguing for 2 reasons: Cadence had to face her fears by dealing with a murderous psychopath and also because it gave an opportunity to further explore the extent of her powers. This brought to the forefront her humanity and a reminder that she’s new to the fighting crime business while also being a metaphor for her not giving up and continuing to fight. And the villain was creepy enough to be memorable and a worthy antagonist this issue but I think it would have been more effective if there was also some history of her father displaying some of the misogynistic attitude this villain displayed. As a result there was somewhat of a disconnect between her defeating this villain and overcoming her guilt about her father’s death. There was some personal growth still and the action was riveting as Furious became more aware of not only how her powers work but how she was able to utilize them, and this is superbly conveyed through Victor Santos artwork. And with the developments at the end of this story I can see how both dealing with a psychopath and understanding her own powers better can help Furious in an inevitable showdown, and I’m looking forward to that.

     

    SUMMARY

    Furious #3 is a solid issue that reveals more of Cadence’s history and is effective in showing the motivation behind her actions and how she struggles to come to terms with her past. Although this issue is less effective than the previous one in connecting this with the story that unfolds here, the antagonist is twisted enough to make things entertaining and puts Furious in a situation that’s unique in her crime fighting career. This is one series I’ve been enjoying and this issue shows once again Bryan J. L. Glass’s ability to create a well-rounded and very likeable character.

     

    Writer: Bryan J. L. Glass

    Artist: Victor Santos

    Release date: 3/26/14

     

  • Rating ( 8.5 )
  • Total score 8.5

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