In this review of The Moon Is Following Us #3, we get plenty of action and some good old-fashioned twists and turns.
The Moon Is Following Us #3
Writer: Daniel Warren Johnson
Artists: Daniel Warren Johnson, Riley Rossmo
Colors: Mike Spicer
Main Cover: Riley Rossmo
Variant Cover: Daniel Warren Johnson
Release Date: November 20, 2024
The Moon Is Following Us #3 begins with a flashback of Sam clinging to someone in a hospital bed, begging them not to die, Penny watching from a slight distance. Cut back to the present, where the combined efforts of Tash and Queen Ashley have given the party…not an exact location, but a pretty good idea of where Penny can be found.
They head off to attempt a retrieval, Tash not accompanying them due to some unstated business. During the flight, Sam confronts Duncan about his hesitation to kill an enemy during that last battle, nearly getting them caught, and how it’s not the most ideal time for self-restraint. After some reassurance from Queen Ashley and Brio, they’re able to focus on the mission again.
They locate Penny. It’s to the point where the girl’s parents can actually hold her again, they go to escape with her…only to be intercepted and have her taken from them again. The one that’d stopped them claims that Penny’s better off there, and soon reveals themselves to be…Sam’s mother. Another glimpse to the flashback from the first two pages shows that the person Sam was grieving over in the hospital was her mother.
The artwork in The Moon Is Following Us #3 was excellent. The posing and compositions were dynamic and really pull the eye across the story. The expressions and dialogue helped to clearly push all of the emotions.
Special mention to one particular line of dialogue. During the discussion between Sam and Duncan, we get the line: “Are you seriously arguing with our child’s favorite toy right now?” from Duncan. That line honestly sort of highlights the sheer weirdness of the whole situation.
Pacing-wise, I’d say The Moon Is Following Us #3 moves pretty quickly. We’re on issue 3 of 10 so far, so it isn’t too much of a surprise that they couldn’t entirely pull Penny out just yet. Which does leave me looking forward to what might happen next.
I’m curious about what Tash’s other business would be, as well. I imagine it’ll come up (possibly in short scenes) in future issues. He’d mentioned in the prior issue that he’d also lost someone (hence his wanting to help in the first place), so I’m wondering if that’s somehow connected.
There’s a point where it’s explained that the reason Penny’s location is more of an educated guess as opposed to a 100% verified location is that the construction of a child’s mind is different from that of an adult. That it has all sorts of corridors and whatnot that wouldn’t make sense to an adult. To me, that makes perfect sense because kids’ minds tend to be a bit more complex than adults give them credit for.
From the story so far, I’m guessing that at least part of Penny’s current situation is due to her not having been able to process the loss of her grandmother just yet. Granny-Cascade had outright stated that it’d be better to let her sleep, not deal with the same anguish that Sam had. So, the feeling there is that the Cascade themselves are basically grief given a physical (as far as figures in one’s subconscious can have them, anyway) form.
(Also, when that unmasking happened, there may have been an audible “Oh, SHIT!” as I read it.) It’s not what you’d call a heavily-telegraphed twist, but it doesn’t feel like it’s from completely out of left field, either. With the flashbacks in place, it makes sense.
Final Thoughts
The Moon Is Following Us #3 is a strong installment, with some beautiful art and excellent forward momentum.
Image Comics provided The Comic Book Spot with an advanced copy of The Moon Is Following Us #3 for review purposes. Find more reviews here.. You can find this comic and help support us in the process by ordering this issue digitally on Amazon or a physical copy of the title through Things From Another World.
