Goners #3
Writer: Jacob Semahn
Artist: Jorge Corona
Publisher: Image
In this new issue of the compelling but confusing horror-mystery, Semahn and Corona introduce a dizzying array of twists and turns including a sucker-punch ending but they don't answer the questions already lingering from the first two issues.
Goners has established itself successfully over these initial three issues as a comic that understands and utilizes cross-genre appeal but this issue treads, successfully, closer to its horror roots than the previous two issues. Semahn writes, in this issue, with a kind of immediacy and urgency that makes every turn feel like it will be our hero’s last. His complex world-building and characterizations are rewarding but also confounding. This is a complex story which I appreciate but also an endlessly frustrating one because of that same element of intrigue or mystery. That first conversation we see, disembodied head and all, is wonderfully written but I can’t pretend to even understand the weight of it simply because the narrative prevents us from seeing the full purpose or effects of that dialogue just yet which is both enticing and frustrating, depending on your patience to let things unfold at their own pace. Francis’ characterization as an in-human creation or servant, on the other hand, and Zoe and Josiah’s moments at the end are wonderful, concise and impressive moments of efficient but interesting story advancement. It’s a mixed bag really, when answers or details are given they’re rewarding and interesting but when questions are raised and moments of intrigue are the focal point, you may feel like you’re only hearing or seeing one half of a conversation and that, which may work as a way of plot advancement, still makes readers feel left out. This is a good, fun and scary story but it’s hard to know where it’s going or even where it’s coming from still.
Corona again, is a world builder. He uses challenging, interesting angles and perspectives that keep even dialogue or exposition scenes interesting. Initially, I was unimpressed with his choice of a cartoonish and child-like look at this world but that final scene really demonstrates all that Corona is capable of as far as horror and tension go even in this kind of fantastical world.
Goners is a compelling read, one that I’m nowhere near giving up on. But it shares flaws similar to the later seasons of TV show LOST, those being that as cool as the mysteries are, they’re frustrating too. I’m impressed with this creative team’s adherence to the tone and style that they’ve established with this book, it’s truly a spectacle of cross-genre fortitude but I hope we get some answers soon.
Artist: Jorge Corona
Publisher: Image
In this new issue of the compelling but confusing horror-mystery, Semahn and Corona introduce a dizzying array of twists and turns including a sucker-punch ending but they don't answer the questions already lingering from the first two issues.
Goners has established itself successfully over these initial three issues as a comic that understands and utilizes cross-genre appeal but this issue treads, successfully, closer to its horror roots than the previous two issues. Semahn writes, in this issue, with a kind of immediacy and urgency that makes every turn feel like it will be our hero’s last. His complex world-building and characterizations are rewarding but also confounding. This is a complex story which I appreciate but also an endlessly frustrating one because of that same element of intrigue or mystery. That first conversation we see, disembodied head and all, is wonderfully written but I can’t pretend to even understand the weight of it simply because the narrative prevents us from seeing the full purpose or effects of that dialogue just yet which is both enticing and frustrating, depending on your patience to let things unfold at their own pace. Francis’ characterization as an in-human creation or servant, on the other hand, and Zoe and Josiah’s moments at the end are wonderful, concise and impressive moments of efficient but interesting story advancement. It’s a mixed bag really, when answers or details are given they’re rewarding and interesting but when questions are raised and moments of intrigue are the focal point, you may feel like you’re only hearing or seeing one half of a conversation and that, which may work as a way of plot advancement, still makes readers feel left out. This is a good, fun and scary story but it’s hard to know where it’s going or even where it’s coming from still.
Corona again, is a world builder. He uses challenging, interesting angles and perspectives that keep even dialogue or exposition scenes interesting. Initially, I was unimpressed with his choice of a cartoonish and child-like look at this world but that final scene really demonstrates all that Corona is capable of as far as horror and tension go even in this kind of fantastical world.
Goners is a compelling read, one that I’m nowhere near giving up on. But it shares flaws similar to the later seasons of TV show LOST, those being that as cool as the mysteries are, they’re frustrating too. I’m impressed with this creative team’s adherence to the tone and style that they’ve established with this book, it’s truly a spectacle of cross-genre fortitude but I hope we get some answers soon.
A Look Inside
