Writer: Chrissy Williams
Art: Lauren Knight and Sofie Dodgson
Flats: Shayne Hannah Cui
Letters: Becca Carey
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: October 5th, 2022
Golden Rage #3 continues the story, which is a combination of “The Hunger Games” and “Battle Royale”, where women who have reached menopause age are taken to a massive island to live out the rest of their lives, struggling against nature and each other to survive. This issue picks up immediately from the last issue, as Jay, Lottie, Rosie, and Caroline confront the Red Hats, the most violent faction on the island.
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The Story
Golden Rage #3 continues treading the line between humor and tension, as Red (the leader of the Red Hats), knife in hand is ready to send a message about who the toughest b*tch is on the island.
We get to see Rosie, who’s always been an imposing figure, taking action, and we get a few surprises from Jay also.
What continues to be the most fascinating aspect of the book is how there are different factions with different purposes on the island, and how the women on the island have managed to establish some luxuries of the outside world (like access to books and book reviews) while simultaneously trying to beat starvation and stave off other attacking tribes. There’s a social structure to the island that’s fragile, and with each issue, we get a deeper look into it.
Each of the characters in Jay’s group are developed well and this issue we learn more about Rosie, who to this point has been the mysterious towering bruiser of the group. Her first-person narrates part of the issue, which is a great device for capturing the rhythms of her voice.
As for the other characters, Lottie (the oldest member of Jay’s group) is as simultaneously comical and sad as ever. No matter how crazy and violent things get on the island, Lottie’s unphased by it. It seems more and more like she’s developing early Alzheimer’s disease, but hopefully not. The issue ends with a fantastic cliffhanger which sends the story in a fascinating new direction.
The Art
As with last issue, Lauren Knight and Sofie Dodgson’s detailed artwork makes Golden Rage #3 shine. The island is a character itself, with massive cliffs, beautiful beaches, and lush terrain. The art makes you want to dive into a panel and visit the island, which would be great if everyone wasn’t murdering each other there! The panel layouts are wonderfully varied throughout, and Rosie’s drawn in a way that always makes her look huge and formidable.
Final Thoughts
Golden Rage #3 continues the story in a gripping way, giving the reader a great mix of action and character development with a few genuinely shocking surprises thrown in. In addition to the story, there are wonderful supplements in the back of the issue (with a map of the island notated by Lottie, book reviews, and a recipe) that make the book’s microcosm feel more real. Highly recommended.