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Pearl III #2 and #3 start shifting the focus of the thematic core of the series while still keeping its signature style. While Brian Michael Bendis‘s work on the series is always really good, the star of these two issues is Michael Gaydos.
ICYMI: Pearl III #2
Pearl III #2 is all about shifting the focus in a way that carries on all the stuff previously. This is no clearer represented than the flashback in this issue. Pearl’s mom being Yakuza was a big part of the first volume, with Pearl trying to live up to her mom’s legacy both artistically and criminally. The flashback here is before all that went down, and far less focused on the artistic side of Pearl and her mom than the flashbacks previously showed. Instead, it is focused on Kimmi thinking that Pearl’s mom is a gangster. When Pearl asks the question on behalf of her friend, her mom transitions the conversation to be about Pearl’s dad.
Pearl’s dad had been a presence in the series where you can never tell where he lies in terms of loyalty. He wants his daughter to be safe, but also does some very questionable things, and can be very selfish. As seen in Pearl III #3, the transition from mother’s legacy to dad’s legacy becomes clearer. This flashback is a minimal part of the issue and is intentionally so, it is almost a passing of the torch in terms of parental trauma.
While Bendis is transitioning the focus of Pearl’s angst, Gaydos is doing truly wonderous things with his portrayal of that angst. Her attack on the club is done in a way that is a homage to various influences that give it such a sticking look to the reader. The action is exaggerated like a John Woo film, the framing of Pearl in the center frame with changing backgrounds makes it like a Sam Raimi film, and the lack of dialogue and effects with the collage of small panels makes the entire thing come off as a ballet presented in a silent film. It’s all about the movement, the colours showing the emotional intensity, while everything sticks in the reader’s mind as both elegant and brutal. Truly spectacular.
ICYMI: Pearl III #3
The refocus that began in Pearl III #2 starts heading in a very clear direction in Pearl III #3. The issue is essentially a comparison between Peal and Miike and how they are related via their issues with fathers. Miike’s dad was not around, he never met him. In a conversation with a therapist, he hilariously says how can he have daddy issues if he never met him. Meanwhile, we are treated to an intriguing flashback with Pearl’s dad, where it is pointed out that Pearl never thought her mom was hiding something, but that her dad was. Which of course incorrect, her mom was the Yakuza boss. And while her dad in the first volume was at times unreliable, he is the one that has warned her about everything that eventually went down.
Not only did he try to protect her, warn her about her mom, and give her good advice, but also in Pearl III #1, we saw that he was the only one noticing a problem with the way Pearl was doing things. He told her that she was being foolish, complacent, and not thinking about the consequences of her actions. So, when she applies his own advice of paying attention to one’s actions, she realizes that he is the only one she can truly trust. Pearl and Miike both have daddy issues, but at the end of the day, Miike is too foolish to learn while Pearl is willing to.
In a weird twist of fate, Gaydos’ art and style in the previous issues, come as a mild problem in Pearl III #3. It was all about movement, elegance, and brutality in the last issue. Here, the chaos of the fight intensifies as it is super personal between Miike and Pearl At times it can be hard to follow, though it is beautiful to look at.
Pearl III #2 And Pearl III #3 Are About Father Dynamics
Pearl III #2 and #3 are all about focusing on Pearl’s dynamic with her father as the center of its thematic point. Bendis and Gaydos are doing a great job picking up various threads of the first volume and doing it with style.