Elena Abbott reaches out to her brother and arranges a meeting with him. When the Umbra shows up with him, will she be able to hold it off? Find out in Abbott 1979 #3 from BOOM! Studios.

ABBOTT 1979 #3

Writer: Saladin Ahmed
Artist: Sami Kivelä
Colorist: Dan Jackson
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Editor: Ramiro Portnoy
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: January 10, 2024

Previously in Abbott 1979: Elena Abbott has dreams of facing the Umbra. Sebastian tells her she is the Lightbringer. Her magic works in her dream. She awakens to the police pounding on her door. They take her in for causing a disturbance. James gets her released but tells her that the police are going back to their old ways of cracking down hard on easy targets. He also talks her into going to Chee’s bar, where they are Lincoln’s only customers. Lincoln tells Elena that his sister, Amelia, has not been there for years. He feels like there is some sort of shadow over her life. Several hours later, they leave and Elena decides to walk home. She hears something behind her, and it is the Umbra! She cannot summon her powers. Sebastian arrives and dispels it and warns her that it is cutting her off from her powers.

NEWFOUND RESOLUTION

Abbott 1979 #3 opens at Elena’s job interview with the local PBS affiliate TV station. Her work is good, and she comes with a great recommendation. But they have some concerns over the way she has kept changing jobs. She is prepared for this and talks about her vision of television becoming the medium to share news with people including those who cannot read or cannot afford the newspaper. They are impressed, although one of them makes a crack about how they’re in business until Reagan cuts their budget. They wonder about the cane she is using – Sebastian’s cane. She tells them it is a gift from a recently departed friend.

Shortly after this, Elena calls her brother Elmer. He apologizes for hitting her up for money and explains some of the recent problems in his life. She apologizes for not being there for him more. And then she asks him to meet her at the Historical Museum.

The exhibit she chose is surprisingly empty, not even a school group is there to liven things up. Elmer arrives, surrounded by the Umbra. He/they ask for money. Elena apologizes. The Umbra tells her not to pity them and berates her for thinking she is so much better than everyone else. Elena knows full well this is the Umbra talking and not her brother. She uses the cane to push the Umbra out. It changes shape and becomes a large dog, one of the few things that Elena is truly afraid of. She steps up to face it and to protect her brother.

Then the two of them are isolated in a bubble. Elmer complains of being cold, frighteningly cold. Elena reminds him of a cold winter they had in one of their foster homes. Outside the bubble, the dog-shaped Umbra tries to break in. Elena realizes it is trying to feed on their fear. She digs into the memories she shares with her brother to remind him of how he was there for her, and how each of them has stepped up to fight their fears in the past.

The next thing they know, it is morning, and the museum guard finds them sleeping on the floor of the exhibit. He lets them slip out without calling the cops. Elmer thanks her for saving him yet again, and she counters that it is repayment for another time in their childhood when he stood up for her. Perhaps they have taken a step into healing their relationship.

REACHING INTO THE PAST

The art of Abbott 1979 #3 captures Elena’s turning point right from the start. Up until now, she has looked tired and almost defeated. We’ve been wondering whether she will actually show up for the job interview at the TV station. She not only shows up, but she also kills it. She holds Sebastian’s cane naturally, as though it has almost become a part of her. She has pulled herself together and when she talks, she has a quiet strength about her. She is not afraid to look at her interviewers frankly and intensely. She does not appear desperate; she is a woman with ideas and ideals.

I love that she takes some of that newfound strength and uses it to take the first, difficult step of contacting her brother. She is also strong enough to accept his apology. But her next step is the even more difficult one of finding enough strength from within herself to be able to defeat the Umbra’s hold on her brother. This battle is brilliantly depicted. It begins with Elmer’s face twisted in hate against her, but we can also see that he is surrounded by the Umbra and it has its tendrils in him. When she frees Elmer, the dog shape it assumes is more than a reference to her past. The Umbra attacks their bubble of safety like a dog aggressively going after a ball. Another set of panels is held in the dog’s gaping jaws. It is creative and powerful.

BOTTOM LINE: TAKING A STAND

Abbott 1979 #3 is a solid read and a dramatic chance for Elena to start taking control again. She is the Lightbringer, but will she be powerful enough to take on the Umbra entirely?

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Abbott 1979 #3

80%

80%

Dramatic!

The death of an old friend bolsters Elena’s determination.

• Writing

  8
• Art

  8
• Coloring

  8
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