ALL AGAINST ALL #3
Writer: Alex Paknadel
Artist: Caspar Wijngaard
Letters: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: February 8, 2023
Cover Price: $3.99
The feral human known as Helpless has finally been apprehended, leaving him at the mercy of the sadistic General Cov'n and his experiments. Meanwhile, Director B'Tay is trapped inside the Earth-like habitat without his protective exo-suit. To survive, he must go against everything he believes and rely on his species' most startling and brutal evolutionary adaptation.
Featuring variant covers by ADAM GORHAM (The Blue Flame) and STEVEN RUSSELL BLACK (HITOMI)!
Score:
★★★★★ (5/5)
'All Against All' is a fascinating drama that continues to be absorbing and I marvel at how smartly written it is while in awe of the art. It's a great story but probably one that sci-fi fans will appreciate more than most comic readers. It's not an action-packed space opera or about heroes and villains per se but it is a riveting exploration of earth's predators through the eyes of intelligent lifeforms, who honestly aren't too different from ourselves.
With Helpless captured and strapped to a table for experimentation, B'Tay's daughter V'lmann has been tasked with dissecting him. Meanwhile, B'Tay, having been taken apart by Helpless struggles to find a new body to attach to in the habitat. V'lmann's origin is also intertwined with the story as B'Tay battles his way back to life in an exciting survival among nature. The focus has always been on the aliens and not so much on Helpless at least not as a person. He's feral because of his upbringing and his behavior mirrors that of an apex predator so he's more animal than human at this point so what character development there is will be limited. This is fine because more of the drama has centered around the sadistic General Cov'n and his demands on the scientists. Issue three is probably the best so far because there's a clear direction and motivation for everyone involved with new revelations exposed.
Caspar Wijngaard continues to impress with his avant-garde illustrations full of color and energy that propels the story forward in exciting and new ways. The entire sequence of B'Tay's struggles amid one predator over the next is some of the most riveting art you'll see in comics. It just builds the tension higher and higher until the last panel. It's just masterful.
'All Against All' is one of the most engrossing pieces of science fiction in any medium. Drama, intrigue, violence, and power struggles make this series one of intelligent design and execution. Primal instincts seem to transcend space, time, and species resulting in a rewarding sci-fi battle for earth's supremacy.
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