Savage Circus has been a fun disaster comic mixed with a heist and we’ve been here for it every step. Savage Circus #3 has the animals on the loose terrorizing a town but there’s that whole theft of the town’s money that has to be dealt with too. The focus of the series shifts a little bit from chaos and disaster to the animals being an obstacle while the mission for the local police gets a bit mixed.

Savage Circus #3 is that transition from the setup of the series which were the first two issues. Writer Brendan Columbus gives us some moments of reflection and setup that tells you things aren’t going to go well for those involved.

The series involves a crashed train full of wild and dangerous animals and this happens just as a group of individuals are stealing a giant piggy bank from a town. The second issue saw the animals attack killing members of the town and causing them to scramble for safety. Now, the two police officers need to do their thing, protect the town and catch the criminals.

Savage Circus #3 focuses on Brady, the officer whose father was the previous Sheriff and died on duty. Columbus does a fantastic job of fleshing out the character giving us a bit more of a reason to care about what happens to him. He has moments with his brother as he goes to do his duty and Sheriff Henley who discuss Brady’s legacy. We get a better understanding of what happened to his father and the weight that sits on his shoulders. He rounds out as a character in this issue and turns from a simple action hero cutout to realized character with history and emotions.

Columbus also does a fantastic job of mixing action, humor, and heart. There’s the mentioned moments around Brady’s interactions with his brother and Sheriff. Those deliver the heart. The humor and action also come from Brady as he heads to the Sheriff’s station being chased by deadly Callways as he also happens upon one of the criminals. So, as he runs, he reads him his rights and guides him to jail. It’s a moment that just has so many funny beats and such great timing. It’s ridiculous but endearing in a way and just outright humorous. It’s a break from what could easily dive into a series filled with tense dread. Columbus is clearly mixing things up attempting to keep it fun.

The art by Al Barrionuevo continues to nail it. Candice Han‘s colors pop. Dave Sharpe‘s lettering is spot on. The art team is on fire for the issue nailing Columbus’ beats. the tender moments feel like that. You feel out of breath as Brady and his suspect run for their lives. The art delivers those highs and lows emotionally and gives us some “fuck yeah” moments as well. When Brady steps up to “his destiny”, arming himself and being given orders by the Sheriff, it’s hard to not cheer on and get pumped at the action to come.

Savage Circus #3 is a build up moment where the hero regroups and gets ready for the battle to come. It takes the first two issues setup and transitions it to the action to come. It adds depth to our hero. It just nails it in every way getting me even more excited for what’s to come.

Story: Brendan Columbus Art: Al Barrionuevo
Color: Candice Han Letterer: Dave Sharpe
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

Heavy Metal provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: comiXology – Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW