Stealth #3 Review

by Nick Devonald on July 07, 2020

Writer: Mike Costa
Artist: Nate Bellegarde
Colours: Tamra Bonvillain
Letters: Sal Cipriano

The third issue of Stealth reads much more like a comic than the first two issues did. The first two really put the emphasis on Stealth suffering from some form of dementia or Alzheimers, and what that what that would mean for a superhero. Not that any of that’s forgotten about, but a bit more time is spent in this issue setting up the other pieces for future confrontations. The Dead Hand, a local gang who have Stealth firmly in their sights, aware of his potential weakness are now taking active steps to take him on. Which is where this issue feels more comic book than the first two issues. While not a bad thing per se, it loses a little of the incredibly hard hitting themes that the first two issues had, all in the name of advancing the plot.

Not to give the impression that Stealth’s dementia is totally on the back burner. This time we get a bit of inner monologue from Stealth, and we get the opportunity to see the inner conflict and turmoil that he’s experiencing. He needs to keep reminding himself of certain details, like his brother being dead, after he momentarily forgets. It allows the reader to understand the challenges he’s facing, and to understand that while at present he’s capable of functioning it’s only a matter of time until his illness degrades to the point where he can’t function. And therein lies the danger. Someone wearing a supersuit who gets confused? Recipe for disaster, as Tony and the cops learned in the first issue. It’s also immensely sad, and is sure to be relatable to anyone who’s watched a loved one go through this first hand.

All the pieces are now in place for an explosive confrontation in the next issue, and we’re only at the halfway point in the series.

The art from Nate Bellegarde is excellently done, while he pulls off the superhero action scenes with ease when they occur, this comic isn’t primarily about that. It’s the quieter, character moments which make this comic great and Bellegarde’s art is perfect for that. He captures the determination on Daniels face as he sets out to fight crime, the desperation on Tony’s face, it’s these smaller moments that shine and Bellegarde expertly brings them to life. And every good artist needs a colourist and that’s where Tamra Bonvillain steps in. She does wonders with Bellegarde’s excellent art, and they make an excellent team.

Stealth continues to take a unique look into the effects of Alzheimer’s, both on the victim themselves and their loved ones, and the more dangerous implications that this can have. Setting this against a superhero story is a clever storytelling technique, and is an excellent opportunity to look at the real life effects of mental illness against a completely different backdrop than we’d usually see it. While there isn’t quite as much emphasis on this as in previous issue’s it’s still a great story and has much promise for the rest of the series. The art from Bellegarde and colours from Tamra Bonvillain are as consistently good as they have been in prior issues.

Our Score:

8/10

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