Coming back for the third installment in the Identity Stunt series, Sam’s story heats up with intense action, incredibly high stakes, and some impressive character building. Identity Stunt has always thrived off of its main character and its over-the-top action and in issue #3 both of those aspects are the standouts. As always with my comic reviews, I’ll be talking about the general plot, whilst avoiding spoilers, as well as the artwork, characters, and my thoughts on an adaptation for the big screen. So, with all that out the way lets get into this review of Identity Stunt #3.
Plot
So after the shocking ending of issue #2, we see a broken down and desperate Sam who only has one thing left in his life and he is determined to get it back. Issue #3 written and created by Joe R. Khachadourian with artwork from J. Briscoe Allison, & the colorist is Juancho Velez, it follows Sam as he does what it takes to take down Dominus Smith and get back what he loves. Along with some help from various recurring character including one huge one who I’ve been waiting to see Sam team up with and now I finally have. And yes, it was as cool as I expected. Being the 3/4 issues this is the beginning of the end and it really felt like it. The tension, sakes, intensity, it all got turned up to an 11 and it made for a much more gripping issue. With such a big emotional drive for Sam, which I won’t spoil, it got me way more invested in this issue because I really started feeling for Sam. We see a more emotional and vulnerable side to him here and that was really interesting to read and it made for a very interesting encounter between him and a certain someone. Overall I really enjoyed this issue because it was the most gripping of the 3 I’ve read and it set up the finale of Identity Stunt very nicely.
Characters
This issue had small “cameos” from characters we’ve seen before but there are 2 characters in particular that really take center stage. Sam, like I, said previously is still the badass we know but here he feels desperate and beaten down. It was a nice side to see of him and it really up’d the emotional impact of the issue overall. It was nice to see some returning character, even if it was only short and sweet but I’m sure they’ll play a bigger role in the finale. Oh, and Tracy had one of the most badass, moments in the whole series in this issue. That’s all I’m going to say. There was another ‘new character’ sort of, introduced here as well but he doesn’t exactly do much and is really set up for the 4th and final installment. Beatdown was really cool in this issue. Its the first time he’s really stepped out of the shadows and it was great. He still reminds me of the likes of Daredevil in some aspects but his cocky, and care-free attitude really does make him feel like a loose cannon. You can never predict what he’ll do next and that makes the issue extremely entertaining when he shows up. Another character who steps into the limelight in issue #3 is the demon worshiping madman himself, Dominus Smith. He is the chalk to Beatdowns cheese and he feels like a serious force to be reckoned with. Throughout the issues, Sam has faced off with various criminals from Studio City but this one feels on another level. It feels more personal, more intense and it’s fantastic. Both Sam and Beatdown feel out of their depth here with Dominus feeling like the puppet master, holding all the cards. I’m very excited to see the conclusion of Identity Stunt mainly because I’d get to see more of the 2. They steal the show here and the issue is definitely at its strongest in its final act.
Artwork
This issue, like the others, is full to the brim of over-the-top action and here it looks really cool. Its slightly darker than the last issue but that serves to make it more intense in line with the story. 2 moments stand out the most, both of them near the start, one with Beatdown and one with Tracy and they are phenomenal. Issue 2 may have had better overall action and artwork but here there are key moments that are some of the best in the series.
Adapted for the Big Screen
Identity Stunt has already sold me on its fantastic action but in Issue #3 particularly it sold me on the story beats and Sam as a character. This issue had the most character building in it and that really helped the story along. I would definitely like to see Sam and his story unfold in some sort of media other than the comic page because even though it’s fantastic here the incredible action has so much potential on the screen.
Overall I really enjoyed Identity Stunt issue 3. It had that amazing action I’ve come to expect from Identity Stunt along with some seriously cool emotional moments and some great character building. This issue has set up the finale in fantastic fashion and I’m extremely excited to see how this one plays out. Huge thanks to Joe for sending a copy over to review! Go hit him up over on Twitter to see more identity stunt and other comics he and his team have worked on and also make sure to follow me and Geek Vibes Nation on Twitter to stay up to date with the latest news updates and posts. Guys if you enjoyed this review hit that like button and share it around. Thanks for reading and I’ll catch you next time.
