As with the whole series so far, most of the best aspects of Lotus Land #3 are so subtle, I only first realized how much the creative team was doing after thinking about it more thoroughly. The BOOM! Studios series was created by writer Darcy Van Poelgeest and artist Caio Filipe with colors by Patricio Delpeche and letters by Nate Piekos.
To call Lotus Land a slow burn would probably be an understatement. It relishes in its noir tropes, including a slow pace as the mystery deepens and deepens. I actually got to the end of the issue and couldn’t believe that it was already over. At first it felt like not much had happened – until I started to think about all that did.
It starts by clearing up most of the confusion created with the ending of issue #2. Then, just as in each issue so far, it goes about revealing even more new information and questions, rather than answering the old ones. It is, after all, a noir mystery. But this issue was much easier to follow than the previous one.
This issue was also much more about the characters, rather than just the plot. I thought one of the best parts of issue #1 was the interactions and relationships that the main character, Bennie, had with his son and his estranged ex-wife. Those relationships are explored in more depth here. And we find out there is much more to these characters than originally thought.
In a way, this issue is kind of Bennie’s origin story – or at least a part of it. The subtle brilliance is how his past is revealed to be related to the current main plot. In this way, Van Poelgeest has given us an interesting character study that also pushes the story further.
Similarly, the other characters in this issue – the ex-wife, the son and even the stereotypical cop from issue #1 – get a lot more depth and personality. The ex-wife and the son, especially, become much more important with the revelations in this issue.
I also continued to enjoy Caio Filipe’s art coupled with Patricio Delpeche’s colors. Together they produce just the right noir atmosphere. We again have plenty of dark, mysterious rooms. But there is also more sunshine in this issue.
I was most impressed by how many details – some important details – are shown in the art, but not really mentioned in the dialogue or narrative captions. There is actually plenty of exposition, but you don’t get the whole picture unless you are really looking at the whole picture on the page.
My only complaint with the art in Lotus Land #3 is that Filipe’s style doesn’t lend itself to drawing children. And there are lots of panels with children in this issue. They kind of look like little adults with heads that are too big.
And my only complaint with the story is the lack of any real resolve at the end of this issue. Whereas issues #1 and #2 both felt like complete chapters in the longer narrative, this issue ends feeling like the chapter isn’t over, yet. No cliffhanger. Not enough resolution. Looking back, I realize that all has been said and done that needed to be in this issue. But it still felt like the end of the issue was lacking something.
This series is definitely building and building its mystery up before the conclusion. That makes me wonder if it would be more enjoyable to read in collected form, rather than waiting a month or so between issues. In any case, the build-up and reveals are intriguing. And at this point, I’m invested enough that I’ll be reading through to the end.
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