The police have identified a murderer, now all that’s left is to put all the pieces together and get a confession, assuming that they have the right person.  Your Major Spoilers review of Gilt Frame #3, awaits!

GILT FRAME #3

Writers: Margie Kraft Kindt
Artist: Matt Kindt
Letterer: Sophia Hilmes
Editor: Daniel Chabon
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $9.99
Release Date: November 5th, 2024

Previously in Gilt Frame: While on a trip to Paris to get a pair of antique chairs appraised, amateur detectives Merry and Sam have found themselves wrapped up in a murder full of twists and familial animosity.  But an ingenious inspector is also on the case.

CONFESSION TIME

Gilt Frame #3 opens with the lead inspector and his partner in front of the assembled suspects of the murder.  He makes it clear that he has figured out who murdered the victim.  He begins by once again going over the crime scene and describing the things that make sense and the things that don’t.  He lays out how the murderer had staged the crime scene and did things to draw attention to many other people.  He finally accuses the victim’s niece of having committed the crime, but then her father jumps in and confesses to the crime.  After being taken away, the inspector isn’t convinced that he actually committed the crime but has to accept the confession anyways.  What comes next is a wild turn of events that really should be read and not spoiled.

RUSHING INTO UNEXPECTED PLACES

Gilt Frame #3 really could have been two separate comics as it acts both as a conclusion to this story and an epilogue that could lay the foundation for further adventures, both of which have enough content for their own issue.  The first part of the issue follows the tried-and-true murder mystery trope of having the inspector, in great length, layout exactly how he was able to solve the crime.  But here it doesn’t feel complete, as if there should’ve been at least one or two more pages going over some details before he points the finger at a suspect.  Without that completeness, the accusation feels unearned and not very satisfying.  The confession that follows betrays what this series has done so well up to this point, in that it hasn’t shied away from cliches and tropes but has always managed to toy with them rather than embrace them.  But all this is thrown aside when the second half of the issue starts, and it becomes pretty clear that the writers were trying to basically get all of the murder business out of the way as quickly as possible so they can really indulge in the events of the epilogue.  And while the events of the epilogue are in fact shocking and unexpected, it does feel like there was a list of loose ends or random details that needed to be addressed, and this section just checks them off one by one without really crafting a solid narrative structure around it.  The epilogue plays out like a series of disjointed scenes, but the light cliffhanger at the end does tie it together nicely.

BOTTOM LINE: A NICE CONCLUSION THAT MAYBE COULD’VE BEEN A PENULTIMATE INSTEAD

Gilt Frame #3 succeeds mostly due to the groundwork done by the previous two issues.  The twists and turns of this issue really only work because up until this point there has been such a strong effort to give this series a cozy yet sinister feel.  I hope that this isn’t the last time we see these characters, but if that does turn out to be the case, at the very least, we have a nicely wrapped mystery to enjoy.  This conclusion wasn’t perfect, there were some things that never got resolved and this issue lost some of the style of the previous issue as it didn’t have any sort of extra stuff thrown in like old news clippings or diagrams.  But as a whole, it did its job of helping land the story in a satisfying way.  4 out of 5 stars.

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Gilt Frame #3

80%

80%

Satisfying

Gilt Frame #3 brings this series to a satisfying conclusion. It wasn’t perfect, but when combined with the previous two issues, it’s hard not to consider this a solid chapter in a lovely little murder mystery.

• Writing

  8
• Art

  8
• Coloring

  8
• User Ratings (0 Votes)
  0