Review – Citizen Jack #3 (Image Comics)

Publisher: Image Comics
Writer: Sam Humphries
Artist: Tommy Patterson
Release Date: 13th January, 2016

As the US political campaign continues to heat up in the real world, it’s all just beginning to take shape for Jack in this fictional world that scarily mirrors reality – minus the demonic entities and talking dolphins, of course. Up until now Citizen Jack has been all fun and political games, where we’ve laughed watching Jack rise from rock bottom to people’s champion. However, in this issue, the irreverent satire is injected with a sinister dose of corruption and darkness, that serves to remind us of the shady shenanigans that goes on behind the scenes to attain the balance of power.

In the previous issue, Jack became a hero of the people following his heroics at a rally. Here, it all starts off fine and dandy; the Jack train is picking up speed and gathering passengers at every station it stops at. However, with members of his own party and campaign team not quite as on board as the people of America, Jack must do all he can to protect his position – even if that includes stepping outside of the confines of the law.

The series started off portraying Jack as an inept buffoon who needed all the help he could get, and with a demon backing him he was in good hands, albeit big slithery evil ones. Here, we see him thrust into a sink or swim situation by his dark overseer; it’s time for him to show just how far he’s willing to go to achieve Presidency, and it isn’t exactly what you would call morally sound. It’s time to roll up the sleeves and get those hands dirty and bloody, while also winning the respect of the Freedom Party he’s representing.

I’ve been on board with this series from the beginning because of how much laughter it’s given me. This issue isn’t quite as funny as the previous two, but it is a welcome shift in dynamic that gives the saga extra meat to its bones. The giggles play second string to drama, corruption and horror, and it feels like a natural progression; or at least a natural temporary change of pace. That being said, Citizen Jack works best as a comedy than it does as a horror dramedy, so this issue didn’t grab as much as its predecessors. While I do appreciate its stature in regards to the progression and storytelling of the series as a whole, it falls just a little bit flat compared to the previous instalments and doesn’t quite have the same impact with its message.

Overall, Citizen Jack remains a must read series as we head further into 2016, and I can’t wait to see where it goes from here. The tonal shift wasn’t as smooth as it could have been, but it’s still impressive stuff nonetheless, and the best political satire going at the moment.

Rating: 3.5/5.

The writer of this piece was: Kieran Fisher
Kieran Tweets from @HairEverywhere_.