The mermaid saves Lottie from the water beast, but now it goes after both of them! Can she get to the HAVC and then to safety? Find out in The Last Mermaid #3 from Image Comics!

THE LAST MERMAID #3

Writer: Derek Kirk Kim
Artist: Derek Kirk Kim
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: May 8, 2024

Previously in The Last Mermaid: The mermaid jumps her vehicle underground in the hopes of finding water. She shatters the HAVC’s dome but is able to jump it again, and it lands in an underground lake. Water rushes in and she can finally breathe comfortably again. She and Lottie take a little time to explore and find the cave unclaimed and full of fish and worms that they can eat. She also finds the remains of other vehicles, enough so that she will be able to fix her own HAVC. She does get the unit repaired, but part of her considers simply staying here. Until the day she picks up a shell and discovers it is a bone, and Lottie finds what looks like a worm, but is one of many whiskers on a large water beast that devours the axolotl!

THE MERMAID BECOMES PREY

We learn, as The Last Mermaid #3 opens, that the mermaid is not afraid of a fight, and she is willing to fight for Lottie. She unsheathes her claws and slashes the beast viciously. Its mouth opens reflexively, and Lottie pops out. The mermaid grabs the axolotl and starts swimming as fast as she can for the HAVC. The beast causes another landslide to block her way. The mermaid swims deeper through an area with more cave structures. The beast is large enough to smash rocks.

It is a game of cat and mouse for a while, but the mermaid finds her way back to the HAVC. There she has enough fire power to chase the beast away. Lottie points out that there is another entrance to the water cave – and an entrance is also an exit. They fly up and out, landing in the arid canyon on the surface. At least with a functioning HAVC, they should be safe for now.

Until the water beast crashes into the canyon, tackles the HAVC, and rips off one of its arms, which it throws away. Then it coils around the unit and a spray of find tentacles comes out of its mouth. The tentacles cover the HAVC and the beast charges them with electricity.

But then, up on the top of the cliff, we see a humanoid, cloaked figure holding a staff watching the fight. It shoots at the beast, wounding it. It darts away. The HAVC starts running away. The beast chases it, and the cloaked person jumps down on it from above, lands just behind the head, and stabs it with the staff. This does not kill the beast, but it makes it angry and it turns on this new nuisance. The human is nimble, but the beast is able to knock him deeper into the canyon.

And the mermaid must make a decision. Now that the fight is no longer with her, should she return to her mission? Or should she help this odd stranger?

TAKING THE BATTLE TO THE SURFACE

The Last Mermaid #3 is a book with relatively few words, so it is the art that shows us what is happening, and it does so eloquently. There are some nice blurring effects to show us the speed at which the mermaid confronts the beast. When she hits it and it cries out, I really liked the way bubbles come rushing out of its mouth along with Lottie. It provides some great texture to the otherwise smooth water. The beast itself does not look like any single creature we are familiar with, but the large, circular mouth ringed with long, sharp teeth is justifiably terrifying.

To see the beast burst into the canyon is a solid jump scare. From everything we have seen so far of it, it looked like an underwater creature. It is unclear how long it could survive in the desert of the surface world, but it seems to think it can survive long enough to complete its hunt. But what makes this part of the fight more interesting is the arrival of the human. We have seen hints of a tiny, distant human previously, but now we get to see that they have some kind of technology, and they also are not afraid to attack the beast. There is some wonderful play of light and shadow, which is refreshing after the extended murkiness of underwater.

BOTTOM LINE: A NEW ARRIVAL

The Last Mermaid #3 continues its slow reveal of the plot amid the fast-paced immediacy of survival and the hunt.

Dear Spoilerite,

At Major Spoilers, we strive to create original content that you find interesting and entertaining. Producing, writing, recording, editing, and researching requires significant resources. We pay writers, podcast hosts, and other staff members who work tirelessly to provide you with insights into the comic book, gaming, and pop culture industries. Help us keep MajorSpoilers.com strong. Become a Patron (and our superhero) today.