Something Epic #3
Review
Writer: Szymon Kudranski
Artist: Szymon Kudranski
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: July 11, 2023
Page Count: 28
Format: Comic
The third issue of “Something Epic” sets the stage for Danny’s story to unfold. However, the narrative continues to suffer because of the writing’s overindulgent monologues.
Something Epic #3
ReviewWriter: Szymon Kudranski
Artist: Szymon Kudranski
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: July 11, 2023
Page Count: 28
Format: Comic
The third issue of “Something Epic” sets the stage for Danny’s story to unfold. However, the narrative continues to suffer because of the writing’s overindulgent monologues.
It’s been a few months since “Something Epic” by Szymon Kudranski suddenly burst on the comics scene, surprising readers with its unique art style and captivating premise. Where else can you find a comic that has characters who look like Vegeta and Daffy Duck walking down a street together? But as whimsical as that sounds, it hasn’t been all fun and games. Beyond the wildly imaginative art is a deeply emotional story about a young boy grappling with both tragedy and newfound superpowers.
Here’s my review of “Something Epic” #3 by Szymon Kudranski.
Image: Image ComicsStory So Far
Danny is not like most kids. While other kids have vivid imaginations, Danny’s mind can literally bring ideas to life. Except he’s the only one who can see these ideas walking the streets. The tragedy of his powers is that he has no one to relate to. Every day he sees the most amazing things happening before his eyes but can never talk to anyone about them. Even Danny’s mom brushes off his wild imagination as something childish.
Then just when Danny felt at his lowest, life takes an even darker turn for his family. His mom gets diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. Danny is left trying to grasp anything that could help him understand what’s happening and make things better. Not even the strange characters he sees could put a smile back on his face. Danny faces the heartbreaking realization that even for someone as special as him, there’s little he can do when the reality of life and death comes knocking on his door.
Image: Image ComicsReview
The central themes of this issue are dreams and nightmares and how they are beyond our control. In the opening pages of the comic, we see firsthand the raw, creative imagery that goes on in Danny’s mind when he dreams. It’s reminiscent of an artist’s sketchbook where intricately drawn faces and hands blend to create beautifully strange compositions. His dream is where we see Danny have the heartfelt conversation he has wanted to share with his mom since realizing his powers. It’s a touching yet melancholic scene that foreshadows the tragedy to come. Creator Szymon Kudranski showcased his artistic range in this dream world, as it strongly contrasts the cartoony elements we’ve seen in the previous issues.
In this latest issue, the main storyline of “Something Epic” is finally starting to unfold. One of my gripes about the first two issues was Danny’s verbose narration, which seemed inconsistent with someone we see as just a kid. The reason for that is much clearer now. Following the death of Danny’s mother, the story jumps forward ten years, revealing an older Danny living in the countryside. While the first two issues introduced us to Danny and his struggles, the ending of this issue sets the stage for his battle against the dark corners of his mind and imagination.
However, as creative of a concept as “Something Epic” has been, the writing continues to be its most glaring weak point. My gripes about the script being too verbose carry on in this latest issue. Danny often goes into monologues that deeply probe his understanding of his world. But instead of being meaningfully introspective, they just come off as long-winded. At one point, Danny reflects on how he’s kept his thoughts dull as he grew older to prevent his imaginative powers from triggering dreams and nightmares. But it’s ironic how, for someone who keeps his mind free from imagination, these overly indulgent speeches sound like he’s spent plenty of time thinking up what to say in the most elaborate way possible. It’s a shame how the complexity of these monologues is most noticeable when the text bubbles themselves are so pervasive that they draw attention away from the comic’s incredible artwork.
Image: Image ComicsFinal thoughts
With this third issue, “Something Epic” is starting to feel like a mixed bag. While the core premise is fascinating, offering endless possibilities for incredible artwork to leap off the pages, the narrative continues to be bogged down by its convoluted script. Despite this issue setting up the bigger story at play for the series, it feels hard to be excited about what comes next when a lot of what we’ve seen so far has been something muddy more than epic.
Why You Should Read Something Epic
- Creator Szymon Kudranski showcases his incredible artistic range throughout the series.
- It is fun seeing different characters and art styles mashed into a single story.
- The premise is creative and has plenty of room to explore crazy ideas.
- It has the potential to deliver a touching coming-of-age story.