The Weatherman #3 Review

The Weatherman #3

Writer: Jody LeHeup
Artist: Nathan Fox
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Letterer: Steve Wands
Publisher: Image

Review by Frank Lanza

For me, The Weatherman has been one of those books that seems to leap forward exponentially with every issue. The first issue was highly entertaining, but I didn’t see where we were going until those last pages. Issue two was a huge leap in the complexity and density of the story; it was a gem of storytelling from every aspect. And here we are with The Weatherman #3, where the story once again shows us another layer of the onion and completely surprises with its depth and range.

The Weatherman #3 takes off at 100 MPH from the first page, beginning with a man named Azim being held hostage and then rescued by a knight in shining armor (more like armory), blasting his way out with guns and one-liners a-blazing. The frantic sequence ends with Azim getting his head blown off and waking up in captivity, locked into a VR simulation. The entire experience is staged and revealed to be a revenge scheme broadcast for the masses. Once the gore has cleared we cut to Black and Cross still on the run after the destruction of the Nebula. The mercenaries hot on their tail change to a novel tactic to flush them out: broadcast their faces to everyone on Mars. It works to perfection, and they are forced to hit the streets with every citizen in town gunning for them. Whether they make it out or not will all depend on how much Ian and Cross can trust each other…

The Weatherman somehow manages to tackle some pretty heavy story threads (mass genocide on earth, terrorism, identity theft, advanced neural technology, ideological war) but is still able to pack in plenty of humor and a perfect dry wit that I just love. LeHeup is spinning some fantastic storytelling, keeping the tone light even after making me cringe after pages of gore and intense action. His pacing maximizes the serial based nature of comics; every book ends on a climactic cliffhanger but never feels like it’s a forced or artificial ending to the story he’s telling.

Fox’s visuals have been stunning every issue as well. I hate using a zillion adjectives when I gush about an artist’s work, but seriously, it’s just a feast for the eyes. It probably takes me twice as long to consume an issue of The Weatherman mostly due to all the visual information packed into every panel, from the spot-on expressions to the frenetic action scenes to the hilarious advertisements and background matter. The car chase sequence in The Weatherman #3 just blew me away.

Verdict: Buy it.

The Weatherman #3 continues what is already shaping up to be a blockbuster series. I think there’s a little something here for everyone here, especially for people that like batshit crazy action and dialog that’s sharp as a knife. Don’t wait for the trade; go find the first two issues and make this book your new monthly addiction.