Days Of Hate #3 Review

Ridin' around in my automobile

Written by Ales Kot
Drawn by Danijel Zezelj
Colored by Jordie Bellaire
Published by Image
Release Date: 28 March 2018
Reviewed by: Andrew McAvoy


These are strange days we are living in and Days of Hate propels us just a few short years into the future to give us a glimpse of what (hopefully doesn't) lie ahead. I felt this series packed a punch in its opening issue and then dipped slightly in terms of story and coloring in its second installment. Let's see if 3 is the magic number...

Aaaaaand we're back. This issue matched the quality of the first for me and bedded us back firmly into 2022. Again there are nice references to events that span the reaction to the US election in 2018, to the (presumably) Congressional elections in 2020, and on to 2022. It weaves a world with these small references and although they are just sprinkled on the surface they add a lot in terms of a sense of time and place.

The central narratives use a competing compare and contrast technique. We know that the previous issues have shown us a female couple, who split after the loss of a child. One partner is now being interrogated by a U.S. official with heavy anti-liberal leanings, one is free and associated with a terrorist campaign. Through the interactions of both parts of the estranged couple we get a divergent narrative as to the nature of their relationship and the reasons for the break-up. We also start to see the emergence of explanations as to the driver of the lurch towards radical activism and their parting. The dual narrative is effective and well executed in this issue.

As with the first issue (and to be fair large parts of the second issue), the art in this book continues to be of the highest quality. The additional colors chosen to enhance the story in this issue work much better than last, and the palette departs from the murkiness seen last time around. I love the covers to these books as well, each of them part of the narrative in their own way.

Bits and Pieces

A return to the standard of the first issue, and the interest in this tale continues to heighten. The book is a tense read, it is deliberately discomforting. The events of 2022 are traced directly back to seeds germinating at the time of writing, and it uses these dystopian origins well to increase the overall discomfort of the reader. In the best possible way.

8.6/10