The Domain hasn’t held back in its more realistic approach to superheroes or the idea of first contact with an alien race, and that continues in The Domain #3. Destiny, Liz, and Max now know that the alien artifact they found can only be used by one of them, and when they use it they gain the knowledge of others (example: Max says he gleaned medical knowledge off of an EMT when he first put on the artifact). But as the alien they’ve “captured” warns them, there are forces out there that want the artifact…and in their hands it could spell the end of the universe.
Before things get too apocalyptic, Chip Zdarsky and Rachael Stott deliver a narrative that’s at times hilarious but all too human. The former part comes from the alien pirates who landed on Earth looking for the Domain; the police think they’re rowdy cosplayers, which leads to a rather rude awakening. Simultaneously, our trio’s “prisoner” is utterly frank about their chances of survival, even saying, “I can’t believe you have the most powerful weapon in the universe.”
But things take a turn when Destiny, having learned about the Domain’s powers, attempts to use them to save people from a burning building…and freezes up. This leads her to get drunk and make a rather rash decision, but Zdarsky is smart enough to paint this as the torrent of emotion it is. We all feel like we’d do certain things if we had the powers of our favorite heroes, but our human impulses would still remain…like the one to stay away from a burning building. Power, in any form, tends to reveal the truth about a person and in Destiny’s case it shows that she still has some insecurities she needs to face.
Stott continues to mix the mundane and the fantastic, to a great degree. It’s hilarious seeing the pirates, who differ in size and shape, sitting in a police station, especially when one uses a computer. But she also has a gift for the awe-inspiring, especially when showcasing Liz using the Domain to save people from a burning building. It’ll never not be awesome to see a costumed person racing to get people to safety, and thanks to Eren Angolini’s colors the bright green/gold suit the Domain wears stands out among the crackling flames and night sky.
The Domain #3 is solid proof that just because you have superpowers doesn’t automatically make you a superhero. Even Spider-Man and Superman had to go through a learning curve before they became the heroes they are today, and that’s probably the same for our trio. I just hope these last two issues provide a satisfying conclusion.
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