I’m going to get this out of the way now: Undone By Blood Or The Other Side of Eden #3 is the most extraordinary issue in the series so far. Both halves of the story are executed in perfect merriment — violent action mixed with immersive dialogue, innovative panels, and pushing the boundaries of color. Undone By Blood Or The Other Side of Eden #3 is a masterpiece, rich with Western touches that only Lonnie Nadler, Zac Thompson, and the rest of the creative team could ever brilliantly execute.
The issue begins at a slower pace, perhaps giving us time to recollect the profanely over-the-top action that occurred in the last issue. Silvano and his partner in crime Bud start off with a tense exchange, bickering over the events that just happened before quickly gathering themselves again as the Wright brotherhood catch up to their tail for another round of Western chaos.
In their desperate escape, Sami Kivelä pulls out one of the most immersive and innovative double-page spreads I’ve seen, adding shape and a visual flow to panels that perfectly complement motifs in the story, like the paper flying through the wind. Jason Wordie’s deep palettes of greens and yellows also further add to the mood, especially as Bud colorfully emotes the impossibility of their situation.
In an almost comedic and ironic timing, Silvano pulls out his novel transitioning to Sol Eaton’s half of the story, with more thrilling high-octane action in store. Kivelä’s incredible panels are on full display, alongside Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou’s lettering. From horses galloping down a cliff to train wheels rapidly turning, Otsmane-Elhaou does a fantastic job adding sound to a Western aesthetic.
Color is perhaps one of the most important features of a Western story, and Kivelä certainly doesn’t neglect this as vibrant, desert oranges and yellows sweep across the pages as Silvano and Bud find themselves in a raging dust storm.
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Luckily for them, Silvano’s familiarity with the terrain works in their favor as they find shelter in a friend’s home. Nadler and Thompson masterfully carry on the flow of dialogue over a dinner table setting, using the different stages of a soft-boiled egg to progress the length of time in their conversation.
Otsmane-Elhaou brilliantly continues the egg’s motif with yolk-spilled lettering, seamlessly transitioning back into Sol’s half of the comic. Even Wordie’s colors continue the motif as half of the page is filtered through a yolk orange hue. All throughout Undone By Blood Or The Other Side of Eden #3 are masterful combinations of the creative team’s talent and it’s what easily sets this issue apart from the rest.
Both Silvano and Sol encounter roadblocks in their journey, but it’s perhaps Silvano’s side of the coin where the tables have truly turned. As tensions rise between Silvano and his comrades, an ambush sends everything up in flames as they attempt to get out of this next turmoil alive. Things ultimately take a turn for the worst in a shocking and brutal ending, as we’re left wondering what’s next in store for Silvano and how he’ll manage this new state of affairs. But with horrors all around, it’s only a matter of time before we cross that path.
The ‘story within a story’ approach in Undone By Blood Or The Other Side of Eden #3 continues to place this neo-western noir thriller as simply one of the best plots that exist in comic books right now. And while it helps to have an appreciation for Western tales, the team behind Undone By Blood Or The Other Side of Eden proves that you can come into a tale like this completely foreign to Western tropes and still come out of it jaw to the floor in ecstatic glee.
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