Hook puns? Hook puns! But yes, the pointy guy does make his debut in this issue as things get even more grim in the world of “Peter Panzerfaust”. We’re midway through the third arc of the series, but it’s actually a decent place to jump on as Peter and the Lost Boys transition from one world into an even more terrifying one. We’re hoping it’s not the end of the line for them, but it’s certain that things are never going to be the same.
Written by Kurtis J. Wiebe
Illustrated by Tyler Jenkins“PARIS” Part Three
Time is against the Lost Boys and they only have one shot to save Felix before he’s shipped to Germany. Only one problem: how do you stop a speeding train?
Peter and the Lost Boys have already tried to save their comrade, Felix; this issue marks their second attempt to do so as they negotiate the vicious political and moral landscape that was Nazi-occupied France. And yes, their attempt does involves a speeding train. Peter and the Lost Boys never do things by halves, apparently.
But that’s getting ahead of things: an opening scene creatively (and heartbreakingly) introduces a minor character from Peter Pan mythology, adding an elliptical plot thread to be paid off later on (and if it isn’t, that would make it it so much sadder). Told in lovely, landscape-heavy double-page spreads, Tyler Jenkins exhibits his usual flair for conveying emotion through camera angle and framing. As a moment to start the issue off with, it’s striking and emotional as well as a surprising change of pace, reminding us of the greater universe of Peter Pan characters before zeroing in on the one’s we’ve come to know… or thought we’ve come to know.
That’s the thing, really: up until now, it’s been difficult to see beyond the surface of the character of Wendy. She’s been tender and motherly, of course, but other than that not much about her has been revealed. In this issue, though, she winds up being something much more interesting, and it’s pretty badass, aligning her character more closely with the spirit of the French Resistance than ever before. The splash page that introduces this facet of Wendy’s character, meanwhile, plays the moment to the hilt, using black gutter space in a dramatic, almost expressionistic way, and getting a lot of glamour and mystery out of Wendy herself.
The action scene toward the end is largely wordless, but laid out with clarity and verve — particularly at a moment when a character looks down off the edge of something, and in an ensuing panel another character looks up at him. That’s a difficult kind of staging to parse out, but Jenkins rises to the challenge. Hook’s ensuing entrance isn’t much more than that — an entrance — but his character design in the splash panel that introduces him is suitably terrifying. The next issue is supposed to centre on Hook’s interrogation of Peter, and already it’s easy to look forward to the interaction between them.
The only dissonant note in this issue — besides an error in the French, which is nitpicking most foul — involves Wendy’s dialogue in a high-stakes scene. She phrases her thoughts too stiffly and dramatically (the inherent drama and necessary deception in the scene notwithstanding) to really be believable in the moment. But there are also some particularly graceful moments in this script, from that opening scene — with its allusive and elliptical captions — to Curly’s grim narration at the end.
It seems perverse to think that a series centering on Nazi-occupied Paris could be so enjoyable, but the way Wiebe and Jenkins have been laying it out, it’s a thoughtful, dark, heartening and terrifying adventure, as well as a unique twist on a mythology that many of us have grown up with. This issue pushes the characters near the apex of danger, and while we’re sure to see them tested further in future issues, there’s an irresistible, ferocious, mischievous spirit at the heart of this series that drives the story buoyantly on. Peter and the Lost Boys are not giving up without a fight.
Final Verdict: 8.5 — Buy
