In this review of Sleep #3, Jon finds that his previous attempt to keep his monstrous side at bay hasn’t worked out, and takes a much more desperate step to keep it from fully obliterating the town…
Sleep #3
Writer: Zander Cannon
Art and Main Cover: Zander Cannon
Variant Cover: John Bivens
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: July 23, 2025
Sleep #3 begins on Tuesday morning, as Jon wakes to find himself in his own bed, despite having fallen asleep in a jail cell. He’s covered in blood, and a walk through town reveals even more damage. Yep, he’d broken out of jail and gone on another rampage, the police station being the epicenter. The only known survivor is the Spray Paint Guy in the next cell. He recognizes Jon, and knows what he turns into, and is horrified that he’s there at all. Jon leaves the keys for him and leaves.
He makes his way to the lab Tabby works at, wanting to talk with her about what’s been happening with him. She doesn’t quite believe that he’s even capable of the horror he’s wrought over the past few nights, pointing out some of the more annoyingly-good deeds he’s done (and she gives her approval of him having punched Dylan). Hipp arrives, talking about the damage and how a group’s getting together to hunt the monster down. Jon agrees to show up for the meeting, but he wants to head home for a bit first.
At home, Jon picks up some supplies and leaves a note containing one word: “Sorry”. He takes one last walk through town, looking at the wreckage he’s caused, making his way to the bridge. Spray Paint Guy picks up on his intentions…and gives his encouragement to do so.
He ties the noose to the railing, taking in the sights one more time, making an apology to the Lord, before putting the other end on himself and jumping…End chapter 3.
This issue brings Jon to the darkest point yet of his story. Story-wise, it moves along at a good pace. The reader gets a good sense of Jon’s horror and regret, and his desperation. Though I do wonder if his plan at the bridge came up soon after he awoke that morning (making his trip to the lab a sort of goodbye) or after Hipp showed up and he learned that there was going to be a mob out to get him. Either way, it’s not a great situation for someone to find themselves in.
There were some well-done nods in Sleep #3 to what kind of a person Jon is, both in the writing and artwork. The walls in Jon’s bedroom? Plastered with posters of superheroes and an anti-drug poster. Hardly the décor one would associate with some sort of rampaging hell-beast. At first blush, one would definitely think: “Look at this dork…”. And when Tabby is brushing off his statements about being a monster, she brings up an anecdote about him saving two baby raccoons from a storm drain (and needing to be driven to rabies shots after).
There were a few things that stuck out to me in Sleep #3. First and foremost, the art style. As the situation becomes more fraught, I’ve noticed that the character designs become more and more detailed, further pushing the fear everyone’s experiencing (and in Tabby’s case, it’s less fear and more “Okay, there’s got to be a reasonable explanation for this…” with a tinge of worry). I’m wondering if it will veer even more into semi-realism over the next 5 issues or if the current style is the apex. Either way, it’s working.
Secondly, at the lab, there’s another color introduced: a light blue. The introduction of another color definitely got me curious. The color in Sleep #3 is definitely used with intention, so that’s making me wonder if the blue indicates that the lab might actually be the key to curing Jon’s affliction. The theory of it somehow causing it did come to mind, sure, but the shade of blue in particular has a calming effect to it. The spray paint around town, along with various accessories here and there, is red (which has that more aggressive vibe to it).
And then we have the memorial at the bridge for Jeremiah Lawson. It’s scrawled with two words: “Blame” (in that red spray paint) and “Killer” (either in blood or meant to be spray-painted…but the rest of the memorial is also red, thereby making it an exception to what’s been there so far).
The symbol on the map shown by Hipp is the same one seen on Spray Paint Guy’s back, as well. So that’s got the wheels turning a bit…
Final Thoughts
Sleep #3 is a well-rendered illustration of sheer desperation. The whole situation’s getting more and more intense, with the introduction of mob justice to the equation and Jon being pushed to his limit. The artwork is phenomenal and that cliffhanger is cruel in the best possible way.
