Soiling myselffffff!
Creative Staff:
Story: Max Bemis
Art: Eoin Marron
Colors: Chris O’Halloran
Letterer: Taylor Esposito
What They Say:
Trapped on a planet by yourself with a murderous monster can be a stressful ordeal, but Dale is taking it relatively well. Relatively being the key word. He is doing his best to make sure the world killer stays on his heels while trying to find a way to hurt it before his time runs out, all done with the help of his imaginary friend…you!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Centipede has been that kind of pleasantly delightful book that’s hitting so many fun marks that you’re really taken aback by it. Bemis and Marron deliver a series in its first three issues that knows how to have fun and just runs with it while making something that shouldn’t work, work. Bemis’ script keeps things to a pretty good narrative as we see Dale coping with everything that’s going on in the only way he can all while giving us plenty of backstory through the flashbacks. And while Marron’s artwork may not work in some other series it’s pretty ideal here, especially in the almost surreal nature of the insects and what they’re like. The dynamic of human versus insect works really well throughout this and the expressions he gives to Dale are spot on.
Dale’s attempts at holding back the creature are pretty enjoyable to watch here as he’s got some good weapons on hand and has no problem using them. It makes for some silliness in the first few pages as he uses the Big Gun to take down the critters and it then leads into some really fun pages with cartoonish and movie-like action sequences as he deals with the Centipede. There’s a kind of weariness to some of it but he’s also past a certain point now and is just kind of getting a little nuts, a little hysterical in his approach with laughter being a part of it. So when things get toward the end and the Centipede is basically throwing spiders at him from a distance it just feels kind of wonky but hilarious when you get down to it.
The other part of the book works Dale as a character well as we get some extended flashbacks to look at more of his home life. The problems with his father are familiar ones to many, the angry man that takes it all out on his family. With Dale being a disappointment to him and being an only child he really takes the brunt of it. This factors into how he handles relationships later in life, including his time with Lucas as he just can’t bring himself to go the distance with it for a range of reasons. The bright spot on his life, as is often the case in these situations, is his mother. We get some really great panels there where in just a brief bit of time it’s made clear what kind of people they are and the connection they have, making it thoroughly engaging and believable even while somewhat superficial.
In Summary:
Dale’s story is starting to take a weird twist with the arrival of certain mushroom like elements that are now coming into play and that dreamlike hallucinatory experience is going to be even more fun to watch. It’s a new front on the war between the two as Dale continues to be what we believe to be the last person on this world. Bemis and Marron put in another great installment, even if it took an extra month to get it, and it leaves me once more wanting to see where it’s going to go and what will happen to not just Dale but this world in particular, especially if there might still be a big twist to come before all is said and done.
Grade: B
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: October 4th,2017
Release Date: Dynamite Entertainment
MSRP: $3.99
