Cryptocracy #3

Written by: Van Jensen

Art by: Pete Woods

Lettered by: Nate Piekos

In the previous issue, with the destruction of one of the families, the remaining eight families convene for an emergency conference in a neutral location; Easter Island. As the discussion heats up, with each family attempting to find a way to turn this setback to their advantage, Grahame interrupts, telling the assembly that they need to band together to survive. Before anything of substance can be discussed, however, the meeting is brought to an abrupt halt by Hum, the person who killed the head of a family at the end of the last issue, along with two unknown creatues. Grahame and his elder manage to escape, but dozens of members of families are cut down. The issue ends with Grahame's elder taking him to the ninth circle to learn of the Nine Prophecies that herald the coming of Chronos.

This issue follows directly after, with Grahame asking the accumulated knowledge of all of the past heads of families about the Nine Prophecies. He is told that the prophecies foretell the coming of Chronos, who had previously ruled before the Nine took control. Grahame is called away, however, as Hum has been spotted in Sri Lanka, outside the Saturn Family base. Grahame, as well as others, go to kill him, but fail as the second prophecy comes to pass, the earth moving to engulf them all. Meanwhile, Bela is being chased by an operative of the Family, having documents about the Nine having been leaked to her from an unknown source. Following this unknown persons commands, Bela manages to get away from her pursuer, running into her saviour who is revealed to be Hum. After being dug out of the rubble in Sri Lanka, Grahame decides to head to a cryptid wilderness sanctuary at the behest of his friend Jason to try to figure out how to fight Hum's two creatures, the Mothmen. I enjoyed this issue, and I think the series is really starting to pick up. There's enough intrigue to keep the story fresh and engaging, but enough reveals to feel like the plot is proceeding at a good pace.

The artwork continues to be good, with the different cryptid species being a notable highlight. The design of the fantastical creatures is distinct, allowing you to determine basically what you're looking at even if you aren't sure exactly what it is, as was the case with the Mothmen. There was some confusion during the scene where the city was falling down around Grahame during the earthquake, but with how hectic the situation was meant to be, some confusion in the visuals is not unwarranted.

Ultimately, I'm still enjoying this series. While it may not be a must-read, it consistently keeps my attention and trickles out enough tidbits of information, along with new questions, to keep me guessing. The relationship between the characters is becoming more obvious, with the friendship between Grahame and Jason being a high point. I find myself being unsure who I want to root for, the internet conspiracy theorist who is simultaneously a bit annoying but trying to expose the truth, or the shadowy organization that is keeping information in the shadows, but has likable characters and is possibly acting in humanity’s best interest. Only time will tell how this will all shake out in the end, but I'm very interested to see how it does.