The third time is certainly the charm as the new adventure series from Boom! Studios again hits every note perfectly. With cinematic camera angles, effective characterization, and lore that gets more effective with every issue, Seven Secrets #3 is your new favorite comic book.
A teenager named Caspar has a chance to step into a role of importance with a secret order charged with guarding seven briefcases holding secrets that cannot come to light. This organization is his whole world, as he's never known a life outside of it and has gained skills to rival any of its best operatives. The cost for his entry into these trials, however, is grand in emotional and organizational terms, and both takes and gives him great opportunities for character development. Like the trials of Themiscira, there's not much doubt that the gifted prodigy will succeed, but even how that happens carries surprises.
The cover of Seven Secrets #3. Credit: Boom! Studios
Ironically, some of the structure of this wonderful Tom Taylor script is similar to The Devil Wears Prada with (obviously) a very different ending. There are no fewer than four moments where the emotion of the story comes at you in a rush, and each one is beautiful in its own way, especially one that James Tiberius Kirk would have chosen for himself.
Then there are the visuals from Daniele Di Nicuolo, Walter Baiamonte, and Ed Dukeshire. The choices for framing these shots — the arrival in the rain, the plank — are like the works of a master director. The fight scenes sizzle with vigor. The coloring makes wonderfully ominous lighting choices. There's just so much to like here.
As adventure series go, this is top-notch, and each issue has gotten better than the last. One might say, "wow," but there's a much more relevant and effective word for this book. RATING: BUY.
The only thing standing between Caspar and his dream of protecting one of the Secrets — and getting to know the mother who abandoned him — is the Trials. Caspar is pitted against the best and brightest of his generation, fighting for his life — but will it be worth the cost of winning?
Hannibal Tabu is a writer, journalist, DJ, poet and designer living in south Los Angeles with his wife and children. He's a winner of the 2012 Top Cow Talent Hunt, winner of the 2018-2019 Cultural Trailblazer award from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, his weekly comic book review column THE BUY PILE can be found on iHeartRadio's Nerd-O-Rama podcast, his reviews can be found on BleedingCool.com, and more information can be found at his website, www.hannibaltabu.com.
Plus, get free weekly web comics on the Operative Network at http://bit.ly/combatshaman.
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