Calum Petrie reviews Newbury & Hobbes: The Undying #3…
The ongoing adventure in Newbury & Hobbes: The Undying appears to drag the titular characters back through the misery of their past, where the times of their greatest failures and weaknesses are being thrust upon them again, only to torment and provoke them.
The latest issue revolves around the characters coming to the realisation that not only is their greatest enemy still at large, that he is also three steps ahead of everyone. A series of bombings has left the police in disarray, the queen has her back against the wall and Hobbes is dealing with a slight form of PTSD. The events are being kicked into a high gear and everyone is now in for the ride wither they want to attend or not.
The artwork in this comic still has me dumbstruck, as I imagine Victorian London settings to always be a more stylised affair. I always have an image of Eddie Campbell’s work on Alan Moore’s From Hell, so the artwork from Dan Boultwood is something far more playful than my dark imagination would have me believe.
The writing is maintaining a brisk pace while still letting readers keep up to date with everything that is going on in the story; as all the characters have been introduced, this issue focused more on setting up some kind of end game. My biggest gripe is with myself – I came into this series with no previous knowledge of the series and feel I am missing key elements that might take away some of the emotional impact.
Rating – 7/10
Calum Petrie – follow me on Twitter.
