“...you are..my colleague. You are...a fellow Avenger. You are ...my oldest friend. But if you touch that button...I will kill you. She...is my daughter! And I will...save her!”
These days, I like to think of myself as a stand-up fellow. Granted, I’ve done my share of ridiculous things and made some pretty poor decisions (particularly in my youth) but who hasn’t? Nothing that a two day nap, a sincere apology, or a little hair of the dog won’t fix, am I right?
While those things make work for us in the Spring of our youth, the third issue of The Vision begins to show us how some actions do have real consequences, and even super-powered synthezoids can make super-bad calls.
Embarrassing decisions and poor choices are things we all have in common, though I dare not compare a social faux pas to manslaughter. Even so, it’s no great task to imagine Virginia’s raw anxiety as she realizes she’s been caught in a lie. The Vision does not yet know that she’s been untruthful; however, the package Virginia received at the end of the last issue indicates that someone is aware of her indiscretion with the Reaper, and they want her to know that they know.
This installment begins in the dark of night, as two teen vandals deface the Vision’s home. In these panels, the suggestion that a young person can struggle with how to properly hate someone different from themselves is an interesting one, and it begs the question of whether one could choose not to pursue that line of thought if it requires special effort. Even so, Virginia’s reaction to the vandals is both harsh and swift, and does much to demonstrate her increased worry. It’s a somber introduction to the issue, the tone of which extends through the rest of its pages.
Issue three also tells its story using another framing device, wherein we’re introduced to the strange properties of the Everbloom. Introduced in the beginning of the first issue, the Everbloom is a magical plant that, when ingested properly, grants its eater precognitive sight. It is throughout the unfolding of this framing narrative that we learn just who has been recounting this tale from its start, and writer om King utilizes this device with flowing precision.
It’s here that my interest in this story climbed the highest - the stakes rose sharply and suddenly, and the bloody insights gained from the Everbloom paint a damning picture. Also, we get to see the Vision work in tandem with Tony Stark in an effort to revive his daughter, Viv. There the juxtaposition of the Vision’s clinical nature and genuine love for Viv is both heartbreaking and ominous.
Much of the issue's success is owed to both the artist (Walta) and colorist (Bellaire). By keeping the palette in the main narrative consistent, and alternating between washed out or highly saturated hues to illustrate separate moments in spacetime, the pages are as visually elegant as the story is engaging. The cover to this issue, also, is something to behold - artist Mike Del Mundo delivers a picture both comical and grisly as we’re shown an image of Virgina, in all of her suburban luster, attempting to sweep a literal corpse beneath a rug. Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover, and boy, this on does say it all!
The Vision No. 3 does much to propel the series forward, and is successful in creating a genuine concern for its central family. I’m more than anxious to see how this tale develops, and I can’t help but wonder if Virginia’s choices will not only catch up to her, but also compound themselves in a way that compromises the health and wellbeing of her family.