The Warden #3: Urban Legend

Crime still runs rampant in Detroit. But there is hope as a masked vigilante has made their presence known. Where will this vigilante show up next, or is it just an urban legend…?

Creative Team

David Timm Jr. & Cody Karamol (Writers), Matthieu Pereira (Artist/Cover), Roman Stevens (Colorist),
Jimmy Greenhalgh (Letterer)

Publisher: IronClad Comics

Urban Legend

Issue three of this amazing new comic series from IronClad Comics takes you on a wild ride of multiple crimes that have been interrupted by Detroit’s new vigilante. This new vigilante is causing such a ruckus that federal authorities are now stepping in to stop this individual.

The actions of this vigilante are generating mixed emotions from citizens and police officers within the city. Some believe that the vigilante is doing a good service for the city. Others despise the vigilante and want to see them apprehended. The feel for this third issue is that of Batman. Masked individual who only comes out at night to fight off criminals of the city. Starting the rumor of an urban legend…

Midway through this issue, you catch up with Henry (the main character), who is visiting his priest. Not in a confessional, from issue two, rather face-to-face in the priest’s office. This is where you, the reader, fully grasp who the vigilante is. And within this section of the story, the feel makes a transition. This story goes from a Batman feel to a Daredevil feel in a matter of pages.

The priest talks to Henry about his actions and the implications of them are doing to the city. Henry understands but has a feeling of “duty” to the city because he is able to do what no mere human can. This is the part of the story that we learn Henry has accepted the fact that he has abilities. Abilities that he has buried deep inside for too long, and he can’t anymore.

The end of this issue focuses on the relationship between Matt and Emma. At the beginning of this series, I thought of them as the “power couple,” but now I am not so sure. Emma has been distant from Matt recently as she works on her story about the vigilante. Which is making Matt’s job more difficult because of the extent she is willing to go for this story. Tempers flare, and our power couple seems to dissolve right before our eyes.

The Writing

David Timm Jr. & Cody Karamol are showing their creative writing skills within this issue. Bringing in the undertone of Batman and Daredevil symbolism is an utter joy to see as a fan of those two characters. The emotional impacts of the dialogue between Henry and the priest, as well as Matt and Emma is so well done. You feel the distress coming off the panels! This issue is so captivating, gripping your attention page after page.

The Artwork

Matthieu Pereira continues to do fabulous work on this series! One of the majestic details that caught my eye was an inside look at Henry’s locker at work. All of the equipment was so detailed, including the one book in the locker, The Hobbit. Matthieu keeps his rough and gritty style throughout, which plays perfectly with the tone of this story.

Roman Stevens keeps bringing the fire for this series with his coloration. Filling in the work of Matthieu to bring to life the panels and finer details for the reader to take notice. His use of shading to bring forth the raw emotions of the characters is flattering to the eyes.

Jimmy Greenhalgh provides another phenomenal job with the lettering for this issue. Perfect placement and sizing. Even adding bold lettering to emphasize emotional tone within the dialogue.

My Thoughts

Issue three of The Warden may be my favorite issue yet. Some may think that my bias for Batman and Daredevil sways this decision, but that would be false. This issue provides so much information about Henry and his beliefs about his decision to do what he is doing. This is the issue where the pace of the story starts to pick up. Issue four of this series is almost completed and ready for sale. Please help and support IronClad Comics on Kickstarter. Follow the link below to purchase issues one through three now!

Grade: 9/10

Comic Book Reviews & Nerdy News: Nerd Initiative
The Warden #2 Review: The Warden #2: The Call
My Personal Content: Travis’ Comic Haven

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