Convergence #3 Review

Convergence continues! Major Spoilers takes a look at the latest installment of the book that ties the series together.

CONVERGENCE #3
Writer: Jeff King
Artist: Stephen Segovia
Inker: Jason Paz
Colorist: Peter Steigerwald
Editor: Marie Javins
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99

Previously in Convergence: With the dome down, the cities are starting to fight it out, with some already falling. Thomas Wayne had a chance to meet a version of his son, while the rest of the Earth-2 team have started a quest to put an end to Telos.

FOLLOW THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD

Deimos has agreed to lead Val-Zod, Green Lantern, Flash, and Yolanda to the core of the planet to help them find the MacGuffin that will take Telos down. Though Deimos seems to be willing, there is something more to his eagerness as we learn that many of the time travelers that were present at the Vanishing Point event are being scooped up and locked away from prying eyes. This plot twist is probably the most interesting part of this issue, and if time travel is a key element of defeating Telos or returning everyone to their own timeline this story suddenly got my attention.

But first, a lot of people have to die.

First up is the entire Bottled City of Kandor. When Nightwing and Flamebird (and the rest of the Kandor populace) agree that they should not fight as puppets of Telos, the being wipes the entire city off the map in a fell swoop. If there was ever an act that said “we are doing away with continuity and past stories,” this hits home for the reader. If that didn’t hit you over the head hard enough, Grant Morrison’s Batman, Inc. world also bites it as Thomas Wayne commits the Ultimate Sacrifice when he detonates a bomb killing every villain from Morrison’s Batman run. It’s a lot to take in if one wants to get meta about it, and for first time comic writer Jeff King, it’s a big swing at those who have been writing comics for decades.

While I was content to bang my head on the wall after the first two issues, Convergence #3 really surprised me from the story telling side. It isn’t perfect, but setting up the mystery and toning down the cities fighting cities bit worked so much better in this installment.

MONTAGE ART

There are many times throughout this issue where montage or flashback panels are used that create some interesting layout and panel composition moments. There are also some interesting double page spreads of our heroes fighting Telos’s drones that bring a lot of action to this issue. Another art standout for me is this issues gives Stephen Segovia a chance to really show his craft by moving the characters from desert environments to prehistoric Skartaris to spooky sci-fi laboratories. This issue also gives the art team a chance to showcase a plethora of heroes and villains who are doing more than just standing around.

BOTTOM LINE: A NICE CHANGE OF PACE

I was honestly surprised that I liked this issue as much as I did. Perhaps I’m having an aneurysm and the flow of blood is causing me to adjust my attitude, or perhaps there is more to Convergence than the first two weeks have lead us to believe. While I’m not ruling out the aneurysm, perhaps this is the point where DC starts to pull the string on the big Gotcha reveal that I’ve been hoping for since before the event began. The writing was good, the story twist was welcome, and seeing Thomas Wayne take down Professor Pig in an explosive way was not what I expected to happen. If you were shaking in your boots over whether to continue the series or flee to the hills, Convergence #3 is worth reading and staying on the series for one more week.