Posted in: Comics, Indie Comics, Review | Tagged: comixology, comixology originals, funny creek, Rafael Albuquerque, rafael scavone

Funny Creek #3 Review: An Emotional Parable of Escapism

Funny Creek from Stout Club and ComiXology Originals continues the story of Lilly, the girl who got transported into the world of her favorite cartoon, and her ill-fated best buddy in the real world. As both tragedy and a cartoon war loom over the characters in both reality and Funny Creek's fictional world of animation, how does Rafael Scavone's cautionary tale of escapism handle the mix?

The story by Rafael Scavone and Rafael Albuquerque, scripted by Scavone, weaves the two narratives together with calm, patient pacing and emotional, mounting tension. It's clear from this issue, as it was from last, where both stories are going, as Lilly's real-life seems to be headed toward an accidental death by gunfire. Her experience in the cartoon world is leading to her discovery that her idol, the cartoon sheriff, is a coward. Scavone's leading the story toward a place where we see Lilly set aside childish things, as they say, and take her hero's journey into her own hands.

As Scavone's story gets better and better, the interior illustration by artist Eduardo Medeiros, colorist Priscila Tramontano, and letterer Bernardo Brice continues to work together to create one of the most beautiful and unique comics being published today. The Stout Club has a real standout here, especially in Tramontano colors, which have immense depth without ever over-rendering.

Funny Creek #3 is so good that it makes me retroactively hold the first issue, which I still thought was strong, in even higher regard. Once the full series is out, it's obvious that Funny Creek is going to be a story best read in a single reading so that the slow unraveling of the mystery isn't interrupted by time away from the story. Every issue gets better and better and, with the penultimate issue coming soon, Funny Creek has become my most anticipated weekly read.

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