The Cull #3 is written by Kelly Thompson and published by Image Comics. Artwork and colours are by Mattia De Iulis and letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. The main cover art (left) is also by Mattia De Iulis.
The Cull #3 is available now, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold.
Synopsis
Well, it wasn’t sentient mushrooms. Was it better or worse than that? You decide. Also? RUN.
Review
Technically we’ve reached the half way point. Well half way through this issue we reach the half-way point. But you get what I mean. Only two issues left in The Cull after this month and so it’s time to kick things in to high gear. With our heroes (or possibly not given their actions) finally coming face-to-face with creatures from this strange new world, how will first contact turn out?
Issue #3 really zones in on the character interactions. We’ve seen the scale of the situation that Cleo and her friends are in. But now it’s time to focus on the impact that has on each of the group and the world around them.
With that in mind it’s really Wade who becomes the focus. As the last issue ended with her face-to-face with this strange, somewhat cat-like creature it’s now up to her to open dialogue between the two. For a second it’s easy to forget that these characters are all still teenagers. They’re not expert scientists on an official expedition. They’re simply kids who wandered in to a cave and found themselves here. Kelly Thompson never loses sight of that, writing their interactions with a strong underpinning of their bewilderment and naiveté. Still, Wade does a stand up job of trying to open the lines of communication.
Something which struck me whilst reading issue #3 was how little expectation I have. I don’t mean that negatively. Somehow Thompson has lulled me in to abandoning all speculation. Instead I’m coming to each new issue of The Cull with an open mind, simply exploring the story in the same way the characters are exploring the world. So with each turn of the page there’s a moment of exhilaration, waiting to find out when things either will or won’t go south. I think even if I had any idea about where I thought it was going Thompson would quickly prove me wrong.
Whilst something I hinted at last month does come in to play this month. It certainly isn’t in the way I expected. The world around them has indeed impacted them, changing them in ways which reflect their individual characteristics. I won’t go in to detail too much so as to avoid spoiling it. But it’s another amazing example of the synergy between Thompson’s storytelling and her sense of building her characters. Of course it’s also yet another opportunity for Mattia De Iulis to show how his artwork is the perfect partner for the story. With each character taking on a new form there’s plenty more opportunity for bringing a new level of detail to the visuals. Of course it looks incredible. The Cull may just be the best looking book of 2023.
I want to avoid spoilers so badly but need to touch on two more aspects of the story. Firstly, Cleo. When she does finally return to the fore her interaction with the alien(?) species feels inherent to who she is and the kind of emotional turmoil we’ve seen her going through in the story so far. Lastly, could this be our biggest cliffhanger yet? It seems like with the end of issue #3 we may have reached the “Now” moment from the beginning of issue #1.
Verdict
The Cull lands its third five-star review in as many months. The series is unparalleled in its incredible storytelling and delicious artwork. With just two issues to go it seems like we may be entering the end game and I cannot wait to see what happens next.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
