Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Esad Ribić
Color Artist: Matthew Wilson
Cover Artist: Esad Ribić
Reviewer: StoryBabbler
The Eternals have awakened but there’s trouble afoot. Their king is dead, Thanos is back, and some of them are pointing fingers at who did it. We get another look into the lives of these immortals in Eternals #3 as they try to come together and figure out what to do next.
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Review:
So, one thing is clear with this comic is that Kieron Gillen is giving his own take on the Eternals and Deviants. Here, Thena is the star of this comic. You’re given a rundown of her history, some of her past relationships, and where she’s presently at in her life. The main focus is her dynamic with love and her love life in the distant past and present. However, the comic doesn’t do much to progress the overall plot or tell an excitable story. In fact, it all comes to a grinding halt until the very end and that’s not a good thing.
The most concerning thing about this comic is how Gillen tries to depict Thena’s history with love itself and who she’s taken as lovers. But since I’m not too familiar with the character and haven’t read Eternals in a while, I’m not sure whether Gillen is respecting her history and personality, taking it to its logical next step, or simply putting his spin on the heroine.The other big problem is why the Eternals are meeting with Thena to begin with, which I’ll get into more detail in the Spoilers section.
If anyone’s expecting more with Thanos, or more deep dives into the Eternals’ and Deviants’ civilizations, then you’ll be sorely disappointed. It does give some exposure of the Deviants but not too much. It harkens back to some of the established elements of the Deviants then kind of throws some of them to the side. Kind of like how Kieron Gillen compared the Deviants to Mogwai in the first issue.
The comic does come back to Ikaris and the boy he met last issue, but there’s not much progression there either. No answers or hints to why he’s guarding the boy, only that Ikaris feels he must protect him for some reason. I still think the boy is a descendant of the man he failed to meet in the past, but we’ll see. We’re at least given the boy’s name: Toby Robson of the Robson family.
Spoilers:
A problem with this comic is why the Eternals are even meeting with Thena: they think she’s a suspect in Zuras’ murder. Their evidence: the day before he was killed, Zuras and Thena had a heated argument about her living with the Deviants and ends with her storming off saying “I will kill you, father. You would be better off dead.” Which is weak, to put it nicely. And honestly, this whole comic makes Sersi appear more sinister and manipulative thanks to Ribic’s art and panels. Especially by the end, where there’s a single panel with Sersi that makes her look awfully evil. It also makes me wonder why the comic didn’t just focus on the Eternals defending their city that was just attacked by Thanos or whoever it was.
Another thing I’m concerned about is Gillen’s depiction of Thena’s love life. This is more of a concern than an issue because I’m unsure if this is faithful to the character or just more of Gillen changing things to fit his story with the Eternals. Also, Gillen tries to have the Great Machine give a topical “lesson” to the reader on the etymology of the word “man” during a flashback with Thena and Sersi. Which turned me off and felt unnecessary in the moment or the whole comic. The term’s usage wasn’t anything special here nor was it used in an exotic way by Thena or Sersi to warrant the brief lesson.
Final Thoughts
This comic puts the spotlight on the Eternal Thena but puts the brakes on the plot and murder mystery it set up before. This comic may or may not upset fans of Thena but it continues to establish the relationships of these long-lived beings. Sadly, this comic is pretty skippable except for a few details which the next issue will surely provide in the recap.
7/10
Dig into our other Comic Book Dispatch Reviews HERE or grab another perspective from Weird Science Marvel Comics HERE. And, if you’re curious as to what’s arriving in comic shops each week, check out our Comic Book Dispatch Previews HERE
If you’re interested in THE ETERNALS #3, click HERE to get a copy! If you’re intrigued about these mysterious protectors, click HERE to get your hands on related trades, volumes, and back issues of THE ETERNALS. And finally, if you’re looking for something else to read, check out my Amazon Online Comic Shop by clicking HERE. Thank you all for checking out The Eternals #3 Preview as well as your continued support. Stay safe and stay healthy.
