Review by: Nicole D'Andria (Originally posted on June 18th, 2011)
Malignant Man has a great plot filled with interesting (though far from unique) ideas that really stand out when compared to other comics, with likeable characters, solid writing, and with only a few characters that need some work. This issue is great, but not outstanding, mostly thanks to the artwork.
After finding out he has cancer, Alan Gates finds out something even more shocking – not only is he not dying but he has a Malignant in his brain capable of causing absolute havoc. With the help of his friend Sarah, who has a Malignant of her own, Alan sneaks into Area 51 while the military is under heavy fire by Mr. Cancer’s men.
Malignant Man has a great plot filled with interesting (though far from unique) ideas that really stand out when compared to other comics, with likeable characters, solid writing, and with only a few characters that need some work. This issue is great, but not outstanding, mostly thanks to the artwork.
After finding out he has cancer, Alan Gates finds out something even more shocking – not only is he not dying but he has a Malignant in his brain capable of causing absolute havoc. With the help of his friend Sarah, who has a Malignant of her own, Alan sneaks into Area 51 while the military is under heavy fire by Mr. Cancer’s men.
The plot for this story created by Saw director James Wan and written by Michael Alan Nelson may not be as scary (and thankfully not as unnecessarily gory) as the films Wan is notorious for, but the ideas are interesting. Many clichés come out like regenerating limbs and telepathic communication, but they are handled well and the ending leaves the reader on a great cliffhanger. The origins and capabilities of the Malignant are fascinating and will be enjoyed by most science-fiction fans. The characters are also enjoyable with Alan being a fun and likeable character. From the beginning of the first issue Alan was introduced as a character you took pity on with a mysterious past, and now he is given many funny lines that are actually funny and do not distract the reader from the story which just makes it more fun to read, putting a much needed comedic twist to this sci-fi mini-series. Alan’s personality is perfectly balanced with Sarah’s, a much more serious character who is (as of yet) not played off as a love interest but as a serious help to Alan with some awesome moves as well.
The villains are worse for wear than the heroes in this issue. While the heroes have a lot of dialogue and action, all of Mr. Cancer’s men are strictly action. The action is cool, but they are rarely given dialogue and the few times they are, they're seen whining to their boss or telling the heroes they’ll be dead in ten seconds – which would be cool if it were the hero saying it since in their case they are usually able to pull off this feat. The overall appearances of Mr. Cancer’s lackeys are reminiscent of the fighters from the Matrix with black sunglasses at night. It's cliché, and one of the only ones that does not work in this issue. An even bigger problem is their boss. While his lackeys are pretty cool, when fighting Mr. Cancer, he seems like your boring, average villain in a fancy suit. It would have been better to have just mentioned Mr. Cancer and revealed him at the end as some powerful entity, but he is presented in a social environment as the typical rich villain that seems to have no motivation other than "I want to be evil." By the next and final issue (which seems to have come way too soon) Mr. Cancer will hopefully become interesting – or at the very least intimidating.
The villains are worse for wear than the heroes in this issue. While the heroes have a lot of dialogue and action, all of Mr. Cancer’s men are strictly action. The action is cool, but they are rarely given dialogue and the few times they are, they're seen whining to their boss or telling the heroes they’ll be dead in ten seconds – which would be cool if it were the hero saying it since in their case they are usually able to pull off this feat. The overall appearances of Mr. Cancer’s lackeys are reminiscent of the fighters from the Matrix with black sunglasses at night. It's cliché, and one of the only ones that does not work in this issue. An even bigger problem is their boss. While his lackeys are pretty cool, when fighting Mr. Cancer, he seems like your boring, average villain in a fancy suit. It would have been better to have just mentioned Mr. Cancer and revealed him at the end as some powerful entity, but he is presented in a social environment as the typical rich villain that seems to have no motivation other than "I want to be evil." By the next and final issue (which seems to have come way too soon) Mr. Cancer will hopefully become interesting – or at the very least intimidating.
Despite the villains lacking much development of menace, the major problems with this issue mostly stem from Piotr Kowalksi’s artwork. Even when all the detail is accounted for in a panel, it is mostly mediocre. But in most of the frames way too many lines are used, and the backgrounds fail to give me the awe-inspiring feeling I was hoping to get inside of Area 51. The characters were neglected in the worst way in some panels with their faces sometimes non-existent, making them look like mannequins. From the very first page a very serious moment is ruined by the doll-like look of the characters. More time and effort was needed to make the artwork more palatable.
Overall, Malignant Man #3 was much better than its poor predecessor. There are errors in the villains' designs and even more problems with the artwork, but as long as I can watch the well-paced action, enjoy Alan’s commentary and indulge in the thankfully not overused gore, I look forward to reading the conclusion of this mini-series and hopefully having another to enjoy in the future.
Overall, Malignant Man #3 was much better than its poor predecessor. There are errors in the villains' designs and even more problems with the artwork, but as long as I can watch the well-paced action, enjoy Alan’s commentary and indulge in the thankfully not overused gore, I look forward to reading the conclusion of this mini-series and hopefully having another to enjoy in the future.
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