Horror comics are a dime a dozen these days, which immediately forces a high bar for The Twilight Zone to hit. The first issue was a compelling one-shot tale mixing sci-fi and morbid gloom for the human race. It had a hint of other types of Twilight Zone tales, aided by the black and white format. The third issue in the series drops this week in comic shops, featuring James Stokoe writing and drawing a tale of all-out war and the secret weapons from a different time.
The Twilight Zone #3 is a different kind of tale, first reveling in the history of an ancient Greek vase, and then dropping readers into an all-out war between rival tribes. It doesn’t immediately spark a sense of horror, though the war scenes are rather barbaric, and a leader aiming to take out a people cares not for their lives. Like most Twilight Zone tales, this story has a twist that you may not see coming, though there are clues early on.
Once the battle is underway, Stokoe leans on a conversation between a prisoner and his captor. This captor is the leader of the army currently attempting to breach the walls of a building. He has a Genghis Khan vibe, gleefully murdering to get what he wants. What he wants is described as the “voice of God” being held within their headquarters. It’s fairly clear the prisoner is a zealot, although you’ll be as curious as the warmonger to know what this voice of god is.
There are clues littered here.
Credit: IDW
For the most part, this is a war comic, with Stokoe’s highly detailed style suiting the black-and-white and looking great every panel of the way. Aside from a hint or two, most of this isn’t a sci-fi story, nor horror, but more of a mystery. A couple of clues, especially the cover, will give you enough to know when this story takes place, but ultimately the message is clear: we fight and kill not for good reasons, but mostly for what we believe in.
It’s in that message where the story lifts up from beautifully drawn to something with a lasting message. Anyone who has played Fallout will find the message tongue-in-cheek, yet deep down a bit sad as a message regarding humanity and our priorities. At the end of the day, this is a reminder that when we’re all long dead or society itself is remade, there are some things that will last far longer, and in hindsight, they meant nothing until new meaning is discovered. If that sounds cryptic, it’s because the twist is worth reading and not being spoiled here!
The Twilight Zone #3 is less about fear in the moment and more about the quiet horror of human priorities. What begins as a brutal war story slowly transforms into a reflective, almost melancholy meditation on belief, violence, and the strange things that endure long after humanity is gone, all elevated by Stokoe’s immaculate art and a classic, sting-in-the-tail twist.
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