The Sacrificers #3 Review: Beneath the Mask

The Sacrificers #3

Review

Rating

10

Excellent

Writer: Rick Remender

Artist: Max Fiumara

Publisher: Image Comics

Release Date: October 3, 2023

Format: Single-issue

This latest installment of "The Sacrificers" balances everything beautiful and horrific about its fascinating world, delivering the series' best issue yet.

The Sacrificers #3

Review

Writer: Rick Remender

Artist: Max Fiumara

Publisher: Image Comics

Release Date: October 3, 2023

Format: Single-issue

This latest installment of "The Sacrificers" balances everything beautiful and horrific about its fascinating world, delivering the series' best issue yet.

Rating

10

Excellent

If ever there’s one writer who fully commits to the power of creator-owned comics, it’s Rick Remender. Having recently signed another exclusive deal with Image Comics, he turned down the opportunity to write Batman and X-Men titles in favor of his work with Giant Generator. That’s a big flex not many creators can make. Even with such a massive collection of comic books under Image, the man is showing no signs of slowing down. The Sacrificers is among his latest works and is already showing signs of being one of his best. Along with artist Max Fiumara, Remender is carefully piecing together an engrossing fantasy series that’s both whimsical and terrifying.

With a title as foreboding as “The Sacrificers,” this latest issue finally reveals the horrifying crux behind its fascinating story. Join me as I review and dissect what makes this series one of the best comics out this year!

Image: Image Comics

Overview

The Harvest Gala finally begins. Every twenty years, gods from all over the land gather to partake in the gaudy feast to celebrate the sacrifices made for their seemingly perfect world. While the gods rub shoulders with each other, there’s one who watches from a distance. Soluna, the daughter of the sun king Rokus, looks on with disgust as she sees the kind of people she refuses to become. But there is one among them whom she idolizes.

Meanwhile, Pigeon and the other Sacrificers enjoy their time together in the paradise on top of the mountain. With full bellies and happy hearts, it feels like they have gone to heaven. They are finally ready to accept their duty as Sacrificers with open arms. But little do the children know, the ceremony is much more horrifying than any of them could have imagined.

Image: Image Comics

Review

What I find to be the most striking about “The Sacrificers” story is how there is always an interplay between the world’s beauty and horror. Underneath all the breathtaking scenery and whimsical characters is a foundation built on bloodshed and suffering. After two issues of establishing so much of the comic’s world, we finally see what goes on in The Harvest Gala and the price paid by the Sacrificers. The ceremonial scene is easily the series' most shocking moment so far, and it’s much more horrific than I could have imagined. It plays out in such a way that everything beautiful about it is what makes the horror taking place all the more unsettling. Without giving away too much, even the devices used for the ceremony strongly represent the idea of something horrifying hiding underneath something beautiful. After such a dark turn, I’m more hyped than ever to see where the story goes from here.

Apart from revealing the truth of the sacrifice, this issue also gives a great look into the dynamics between the gods that rule over the world. While all of these gods are willful participants in the heinous acts of The Harvest, there’s also plenty of political drama brewing among them. It will be interesting to see if these disputes have big implications for the story down the line. But for now, it’s made crystal clear that these characters are more monsters than gods.

Artist Max Fiumara continues to be a revelation in this series. Beyond the story implications of the scene, the Harvest Gala showcased Fiumara’s incredible knack for beautiful character design. The god characters all have an otherworldliness that sets them apart from the other creatures we’ve seen throughout the series. Like Rokus, who represents the Sun, the gods embody different natural elements like the sea, clouds, and moss. While we’re only three issues into the series, each new chapter has explored so much of its world by showcasing a visual feast of strange and fantastical characters. It makes for a unique sense of wonder when you never really know what you’ll see next as you turn the page of the comic.

Image: Image Comics

Final Thoughts

This latest issue is easily the best of the series so far. Everything from the beautiful imagery to the heartbreaking twists comes together for a fascinating story that leaves you wanting to learn more. While the story has started to show more of its dark side, there are still many more mysteries to unravel. The adventure of Pigeon and the other Sacrificers will only get more twisted from here.

Why You Should Read The Sacrificers

• The story takes a dark turn that contextualizes the reality of the story’s world. 
• The series has been a world-building masterpiece.
• Max Fiumara is killing it with all the character designs throughout the series.
• There’s still so much to discover about the fantastical world and characters.