This is perhaps the first really great issue of the whole Before Watchmen line- leave it to Darwyn Cooke to deliver the goods big style!
Each issue of this particular mini has improved upon the last, with this issue being a quantum leap ahead of issues 1 and 2. Who knows how much better it can get before we reach issue 6?
This issue continues to shine a light on the dark side of the supposedly holier-than-thou masked heroes of the Watchmen universe, exposing them as deeply flawed and in some cases downright despicable characters. The juxtaposition of the murky goings on behind the scenes and the bright, simplistic panels which ape the comics of the era are superbly effective, and, along with the multiple fast cutting, interlaced narratives, show Cooke as a true master storyteller. What’s really impressive is what tight control he has over the book’s pacing. Three issues in I can only marvel at how skilfully he has allowed the story to unravel, building suspense and tension with each wonderful character moment.
This, more than any of the other titles, is what I hoped Before Watchmen would be – faithful to Moore and Gibbons’ masterpiece, but at the same time fresh, revealing and with a style all its own.