The Misadventures Of Clark And Jefferson #3 of 4
Writer: Jay Carvajal
Artist: Marc Borstel
Ape Entertainment
Cover Price: $3.50; On-sale: Feb 2007

The Misadventures of Clark and Jefferson #3 finds our heroes where we left them off — facing down wave after wave of alien invaders. Due to the overwhelming odds, the group’s numbers are dwindling, and it’s apparent to everyone that if the aliens decide to attack again, they won’t be able to hold them off. A plan is formulated and drastic measures must be taken. That’s as far as I’ll go with the story, because I don’t want to spoil it.

This issue, as seems to be the series’ trademark, once again blends the actions and the comedy as easily as it blends the western and sci-fi genres. And believe me, that’s no easy feat on either account. Series writer Jay Carvajal instills the humor in a very natural way. It rarely feels forced. His characters all have a distinct voice, and if the humor fits into that voice, he uses it. If not, then the character is played straight. When dancing between genres like he does, it’s easy to forget your characters voices and they end up saying things that don’t fit them. That doesn’t happen here, and it’s a testament to Carvajal’s writing abilities.

The art duties are once again ably handled by Marc Borstel. His creature designs are terrific, and his sense of action and timing are great. The opening of this issue is page after page of action, and I never once found myself going, “Wait”¦ What just happened there?” It’s easy to follow, leading you from panel to panel. The one area I found this issue lacking in was the color work. This issue looks like it’s digitally colored, meaning the colors separate themselves from the art instead of cementing themselves to it. In the previous issues, the coloring seemed to have been done with a bit more care. It almost feels rushed to me here in issue #3. It’s not a huge problem — it didn’t take me out of the story or anything — but given the level or color work done in issues 1 and 2, it was disappointing to see it take a step backwards.

All in all, this is an incredibly fun series thus far, and it’s one that I look forward to continuing to read.