A DUMMY'S GUIDE TO DANGER #3 REVIEW

[Andrea Speed]

Reviewer: Andrea Speed andy@comixtreme.com
Quick Rating: Good

The killer pays a visit to Alan.

Writer: Jason M. Burns
Artist: Ron Chan
Letters: Greg Gatlin
Cover Art: Ron Chan
Publisher: Viper Comics


This is the penultimate issue - woohoo! Have to love the five dollar words - and Alan and his dummy, Mr. Bloomberg, find themselves hip deep in crapola. Really, it’s got to be his worst day ever: first Alan is roughed up by the ticked off cop and some “friends” of his, then he’s left to die, and when he gets home, the killer pays a visit and makes off with a body part. (Yes, you read that right.) The killer is disguised, but uses a certain weapon that seems to be a big honking clue as to the identity of its wielder, so Alan and Bloomberg go after the supposed killer, and find a scene that I’m sure isn’t completely what it seems. In fact, I think I know who the “real” killer is, and that the ending is a red herring. I could be wrong, but I think this is a frame job that will be revealed in the final issue (in fact, the cover’s a bit of a tip off). The problem is, I could be wrong, or - because I’m a big fan of the mystery genre - I guess the endings of all mystery series way too easily. My friends don’t like to watch any type of mystery film with me for this very reason. Or maybe it’s easy to see the suspect slight of hand; somebody else is going to have to tell me. But this is otherwise a brutal but still fun issue that also gives us a flashback to how Bloomberg got paralyzed … which is still quite a feat, considering he’s a dummy.

The art by Chan is sharp (no pun intended) and enjoyable, with some really good color work this time out. It’s rich and varied, giving some nice layers to the art, and the way the blood is just a mess is a good, realistic touch. (Blood is messier than most comics acknowledge.) There’s also a short story, “Sink or Swim”, about underwater zombies. That synopsis should tell you whether you’ll like this story or not, but the art is reminiscent of Mike Oeming.

So far this has been an entertaining mystery-comedy series, although it’s certainly had its rather grisly moments. And this issue is no exception.



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