News From The Fallout has played out like a classic ’50s sci-fi/horror movie, introducing a threat born of the nuclear fears of that time while also setting up the idea of a group of survivors having to work through said threat. It’s also kept some things close to the vest: why exactly did this one bomb change a group of soldiers into bloodthirsty monsters? How will the people gathered in the diner survive? News From The Fallout #3 starts to peel back some of the layers surrounding its central mystery, and dives deep into the bonds that some of its characters share.
Like the previous issue, News from the Fallout #3 begins with a flashback “before the bomb”, this time centering on Old Joe Diner’s cook Charlie. So far, Charlie’s been the sole voice of reason: he’s managed to talk down conflicts before they get ugly, and was the first to talk to Private Fallows when the young soldier burst into the diner. During the flashbacks, though, a conversation reveals that the diner’s all he’s known, to the point where he hasn’t left it in years. In the present day, he’s forced to move forward due to the “Rotted” bombarding the diner, and makes some hard choices along the way.
Chris Condon shows off his gift for character work with News from the Fallout #3, as he digs deep into how the diner’s inhabitants deal with the Rotted. Most of them know that the people outside aren’t human, but there’s one dissenter who isn’t willing to do what needs to be done due to past connections. On top of that, there’s a major reveal that not all of the Rotted are mindless monsters, hinting at a greater purpose with the bomb. I’ll be honest, the way Condon is structuring this story makes me anxious for what comes next.
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I also felt genuine fear at times, thanks to Jeffrey Alan Love’s artwork. The way Love pictures characters moving more than makes up for the lack of detail; you can see the tension in people’s bodies, the truly inhuman nature of the Rotted as they crawl around and snarl at the dark, pinpricks of light boring right into the reader’s soul. Which makes it all the more unsettling whenever a character is shot in the head or ripped apart by one of the Rotted. Love may not show all the gory details, but he also doesn’t shy away from the damage that’s being done.
Another detail that adds to the mysteries surrounding News From The Fallout #3 is the back-page matter that’s carefully crafted by Condon and Mike Tivey. Crumpled up receipts, mock-up ads for gas stations, and a transcript of a conversation between military officers make this world feel more lived in; I do wish there was more, although I was probably spoiled by the approach that Bug Wars took in fleshing out its own mythology. Regardless, News From The Fallout #3 brings revelations and horror in equal measure, as the series hits its halfway point.
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