Reviews»Comic Books»Pariah #3
pariah
Kareem Ali 4.5

Pariah #3

 

  • The good

    The most interesting protagonist in the series, the most gripping and suspenseful story and really good action. Some backstory is finally given regarding the vitros

  • The bad

    Doesn't clarify how Hal's parents made him and how it was known he was a vitro since they were off the grid apparently.

  • The ugly

  • Pariah #3 follows the story of Hal Roberts, the only vitro left on Earth, as he seeks to implement his part of the vitros plans to get back at those who sent them to live on a deathtrap in space. This issue opens up 5 months prior to the vitros being rounded up and sent to live in space, and shows how Hal’s parents never trusted the federal government. They instilled in him from the beginning what he describes as “paranoia” and the view it’s a survival instinct through life and history lessons. So when the government came to take him away due to him being a vitro, he was already prepared and was able to escape despite his parents being taken into custody. But he also knew he wouldn’t be able to survive on the run for long so he created a new identity using his inimitable computer skills and killed off his former identity. Yet he still was urged to reach out to the vitros on the space station despite his safety being assured, and after proving his identity as one he became their secret weapon. Can Hal succeed in his role as part of the vitros’ plan at the beginning of this “war” or will he only succeed at exposing his true identity and being put on the radar of the very agencies that thought him to be dead?

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    I’ve had a really tough time getting into this series and not just because I felt thrown in the middle of a story in what was labeled the first issue but none of the characters were truly interesting to me either. And after the second issue it became clearer that there was a story prior to this series that would shed some light on the current events but I wasn’t intrigued enough to even look into it. So it’s not an exaggeration to say that this issue shocked me with how good it was and kept me engrossed from the beginning to end. The fact this story didn’t take place on the space station probably played a role but the protagonist this time around was a lot more interesting than the previous ones. And finally some backstory is given as well and so it’s possible to now be invested in the events taking place and for the first time I can feel the gravity of the situation. To see how Hal would’ve been rounded up for no other reason than his creation and considerable skills made it easier to relate to all the vitros too. His mission was to infiltrate the National Space Security Transitional Authority, the agency responsible for tracking and controlling all the vital functions of the space station and cut off all communications making the space station virtually invisible. At the conclusion of the last issue this plan was purported to be grand and capable of turning things around and I was impressed with how grand this was. Of course it wouldn’t be an easy task considering the security at the building and the fact there aren’t blueprints readily available but this issue also does the best job in the series in demonstrating how vitros are truly remarkable and their abilities are unmatched. There’s plenty of action here ala Mission Impossible and I had a smile on my face the entire time reading it. And as if it wasn’t enough, the stakes are raised extremely high at the end of this issue and for the first time I cannot wait for the next issue in this series.

     

    SUMMARY

    Pariah #3 is EASILY the best issue in the series and I’m still in awe at how it improved so drastically from one issue to the next making the overall story very exciting. With the series propensity to change the narrative point of view each issue I can’t say that it’s turned a corner, especially considering it’s returning to the space station where it’s had its share of problems. But I can say I enjoyed this issue immensely and I hope the story is as provocative and exciting going forward. I’ve never recommended an issue in a series without recommending the series before but this is an excellent single issue to read.

     

    Release Date: 4/30/14

    Writer: Aron Warner, Philip Gelatt

    Artist: Brett Weldele

     

     

  • Rating ( 9 )
  • Total score 9.0

1 comment

  1. Pingback: Pariah #8 Review Roundup - Project iRadio

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