Though the cover of Night Thrasher #3 seems to tease a fight between the titular vigilante and his former lover Silhouette, the major conflict of this comic is a mental one. Dwayne Taylor’s actions led to his former New Warriors teammate Rage being arrested; this leads Dwayne to take a hard look at himself and how things have changed since he was last in his old neighborhood. Slight spoiler alert: he doesn’t like what he sees.
J. Holtham deserves plenty of credit for where he goes with Dwayne’s story, especially emotionally. Dwayne is dealing with his resurrection post-Civil War and where he belongs in the world; in a time where most characters in a superhero universe often die and come back to life at the drop of a hat, it’s rare for a writer to dive into what that means. Holtham uses that as a springboard to explain Dwayne’s state of mind and why he’s pushing away friends and family, to great effect. He also writes a great dynamic between Thrasher and Silhouette, utilizing both their history as New Warriors and their previous romance.
![NTHRASHER2024003 Preview 4 'Night Thrasher' #3 features a battle that's more mental than physical](https://i0.wp.com/aiptcomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/NTHRASHER2024003_Preview-4.jpeg?w=756&ssl=1)
Marvel Comics
Nelson Daniel brings this script to life with expressive art, often letting characters’ body language or facial expressions speak for them. A key example is the first page. It opens with multiple news reports about the battle between Night Thrasher and Rage, juxtaposed with Dwayne’s clenched jaw and the sight of a remote hitting the ground. Another page has Dwayne walking the streets, his facial expressions betraying his inner turmoil – and his narration giving voice to said turmoil.
Finally, Matt Milla uses a darker palette of colors to set the rather somber mood. Dwayne is often shrouded in darkness; he sits brooding in his secret headquarters, sticks to the darker corners of Harlem, and fights with Silhouette in a cemetery…at night. Even Travis Lanham’s captions are a mix of black, white and red.
Night Thrasher #3 digs deep into its hero’s state of mind, as he gears up for a different kind of fight. With one more issue to go, the creative team has set the stage for a different kind of superhero story – and shown that ’90s icons can be more than a collection of pouches and angst. Or rather, that you can explore that angst in genuinely interesting ways.
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