Fight Club 3 #1 Review

Fight Club 3 #1 Review

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Writer: Chuck Palahniuk
Artist: Cameron Stewart
Colorist: Dave McCaig
Letterer: Nate Piekos
Cover Artists: David Mack, Duncan Fegredo, Kirbi Fagan

Review by Michael Farris, Jr.

Fight Club is back! Marla is pregnant with the couple’s second child, and our unnamed narrator (who is currently going by Balthazar) is looking for a job. Meanwhile, we witness the story of a woman who discovers her dog has died, paints a memorial portrait, and takes the painting to an art auction. Mysterious figures appear in each plot: A woman who seems interested in seducing Tyler Durden, and an old man carrying Nazi gold who appears to be orchestrating events that lead up to…something.

If you decide to pick up this issue, be prepared for one of the fastest reads of your life. I’m often a fan of the art doing the storytelling, and this issue has that in spades. Almost to the point where if you’re not paying attention, you won’t know what’s going on. I’ve probably looked through this issue four or five times to make sure I’m getting it, and I’m honestly still not sure. So pay attention to the art, kids!

From the solicit, we know a couple things: The baby is Tyler’s, and a new group is trying to “fine-tune mankind,” which leads Balthazar and Tyler to forge an alliance to stop them. That’s not all too apparent in the first issue of Fight Club 3, but you can definitely tell that there’s a big scheme going down, and Balthazar/Tyler are in the middle of it — whether they want to be or not.

The familiar team up of Palahniuk and Stewart from the previous Fight Club graphic novel makes you feel more or less like you pick up where you left off. Stewart continues to do the Fight Club saga justice with his artwork…flies and all. One of the better contrasts I found in the book was the difference we get between the innocent, ray-of-sunshine that is the painter’s dog and the cold, skeletal mystery man with Nazi gold.

Verdict: Wait and see.

It’s Fight Club! It’s Palahniuk! Why are you saying wait and see, you ungrateful cretin? I understand it’s near-blasphemous to suggest waiting on this one, but I might just be saying this because I tend to be an impatient person and think that this next Fight Club chapter will work far better as a trade. If you’re a hard-core Fight Club fan and want to be confused, befuddled, and able to endure not being able to tell where this story is going yet, then pick this up. I honestly think this is one of the most vague beginnings that will be much clearer by the end to the point that going back and reading the beginning again after you finish will blow your mind. But as it stands alone, it clouds the mind.