Review - Heartthrob Season 3 #1 (@OniPress)


"Love sucks."

People do strange things for love. MOre often than not, those things involve making decisions that are a little reckless, as in Heartthrob Season 3 #1 from Oni Press. The issue is written by Christopher Sebela, illustrated by Robert Wilson IV, colored by Nick Filardi and lettered by crank!.

Love stinks, so Callie has given up and gone cold turkey, while trying to do away with her Mercer problem, in an upstate mental hospital. But when she gets a threatening visit from Forsythe -- the guy whose heart is in her chest -- Callie will have to bust out and get the old gang back together for one final spree.

Sebela spends a chunk of the issue establishing an Ocean's Eight vibe in the first issue. Callie moves through the issue grappling with her past in an attempt to reconcile her future and Sebela infuses character with an abundance of introspective dialogue. That dialogue is also very effective at introducing some of the other players in the series, although Sebela doesn't really seem to do anything else with them by the end of the issue. In fact, the entirety of the issue is dedicated to convincing the reader that Callie is a criminal mastermind because of the escape she orchestrates--almost to the detriment of the plot itself. This is a third volume, although it's possible Sebela is working to make the issue more accessible to readers who haven't read the previous volumes.

The artwork by Wilson IV is emphasized by very thick, bold linework that provides clear distinction amongst the characters. There's a lot of attention to the character detail that gives them a variety of appearances and helps the reader better embrace the notion of Callie's current state of affairs. The thicker linework extends to the panels as well, allowing the reader to focus specifically on the frenetic action Tynion IV is depicting in each panel. Tynion IV does a great job of giving each character a unique look that infuses the issue with a further sense of liveliness. Filardi's colors handle the darkness of much of the issue well, relying on bluish hues for much of the issue.

Heartthrob Season 3 #1 is another volume in a series that becoming more ambitious in its direction. Cassie is gearing up for one more big job that requires a lot of brainpower and where they end up remains to be seen. Sebela's script is pretty detail-rich in terms of letting the reader in on all of the action. The artwork by Tynion IV is a good match for the script as it lets each character be their own person based on their appearance. Heartthrob Season 3 #1 is geared more towards readers of the previous volumes, but there's enough here that new readers shouldn't be scared off.

Heartthrob Season 3 #1 is available now.

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