3 out of 5

This is rated in comparison to the other Rust volumes; it is, as a standalone read, quite excellent. Two things hamper this volume side by side with the preceding ones, though: the animation-influenced decompression looks awesome, but extends time very oddly. As we get into bigger action sequences, the downside is pretty immediate, as Lepp essentially split one climax across the end of volume 2 and the start of this book. Both parts rock, but it feels repetitive if you’re reading relatively back-to-back. Linked to this, though counting as the second “thing”, as our storyline has gotten more complex, Lepp pauses for dramatic emphasis, but sometimes at the cost of smoother storytelling overall. The way scenes are pieced together and interrupted isn’t confusing, but it has the same effect as the split action scene: it’s a little repetitive; you’ve caught up to where the story is before it gets there. And there probably wasn’t enough page space to denouncement from that action scene, which is a pretty silly blip in immersion: Oz goes through something massive, and I know his brother doesn’t see it, but it’s still just, like, back to normal the next page.

And a last, fastidious criticism, quibbling with the extras: we get a free comic book day reprint in the back, and I know I’d be complaining if we didn’t get this reprinted somewhere, but… it’s essentially a rejiggered version of something that happens in the main text. It’s very cute, but comes across as a B-side. I think maybe just some one-line commentary on it from Lepp – or even trying to reinsert the scene – would’ve made this feel more necessary.

But… there are giant pluses. Gripes about storytelling aside, I think that’s because I’m way zoomed in, studying every page. Lepp’s art is (page by page) sequenced so expertly, you can really feel every action, every breath a character takes. Every thing that I think is a problem with the visuals is, as I reflect upon it, more about the stuff I’m mentioning above – the overall way the narrative is laid out. In the moment, though, not only does this have a weird combo of both epic and intimate scope, but I continue to be surprised at how well the emotional component of the story is handled. There’s like a Pinocchio framework here that should be super tropey, and we have tropey archetypes, but Lepp imbues them, and his world, with a sense of reality.

An awesome story and reading experience, for sure, with this chapter just moreso highlighting some presentation flaws.