Exiles #3 – Review

By Jeff Parker (Writer), Salva Espin & Casey Jones (Pencils), Karl Kessler (Inks), and Anthony Washington (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Clever, funny, and visually pleasing, Jeff Parker’s Exiles series is quickly becoming a favorite of mine.

The Story: Imprisoned in an alternate-reality Genosha for trying to overthrow Magneto’s reign, the Exiles must think of an escape plan or else the universe will suffer the consequences.

What’s Good and What’s Not So Good: The best thing about Exiles #3 is how Jeff Parker manages to spin the predictable into the unexpected. While I can’t go into specifics, I can say that (outside of the escape attempt) the Genosha conclusion is likely to disappoint a bit. At least until the characters make the “jump” into the next mission; an event which impressively passes the torch from one art team to the next. That said, the latest issue of Exiles is still quite fun.

Jeff Parker does a great job playing with the alternate-reality concept and characters. Sure, some things never change, but the stuff that does is surprisingly entertaining. I say that because Beast and Black Panther continue to be a highlight because of how much they differ from the established versions. Also, though he only appears to narrate the standard recap, Morph gives Exiles a recap page that manages to match (or even surpass) the Incredible Hercules’ on the entertainment scale. Those of you that read Incredible Herc know that that’s saying something.

As for the visuals, Salva Espin continues to be a perfect fit for the tone of the series. Some of the smaller panels look a bit rough, but as a whole, Exiles is a very nice-looking book. I’m not entirely sold on Casey Jones’ more realistic style, but I’ll hold judgment until I see his work over the course of an entire issue.

Conclusion: While not quite a strong as the first two issues, Exiles #3 is still well worth your time and money.

Grade: B

-Kyle Posluszny