Review – Beyond Real #3 (Vault Comics)

Publisher: Vault Comics
Writer: Zack Kaplan
Artist(s): Vincenzo Riccardi, Dennis Menheere, Fabiana Mascolo
Colours: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Release Date: 17th April 2024

For those new to this singularly unique Vault Comics series, here’s the story so far: following a tragic car accident which left her boyfriend Eli in a coma, artist June started to experience some rather unusual things. She could see through the layers of our reality, hear people’s thoughts, and could also seemingly and change physical objects with just a touch. As it turns out, Eli’s hypothesis that we’re all just living in a carefully coded computer simulation turned out to actually be pretty accurate, a discovery which sparks June into a journey to the source of the code to meet “the administrator” – the only one who has the relevant permissions to amend Eli’s own code and bring him back from his coma.

God I love Vault Comics.

In an interesting wrinkle, June’s journey through the code allows series writer Kaplan to repeatedly change the style and aesthetic of the comic, collaborating with a carousel of supremely talented artists to bring this ambitious story to the printed page. After a bit of a lull in a second issue which saw June traversing the code, being hunted by malevolent entities known as “formats”, and meeting some other travelers who have also found themselves stuck in this strange reality, things pick up significantly here with some absolutely jaw-dropping illustrations courtesy of Vincenzo Riccardi and some much-needed character development for Dawn and Rishi, June’s two remaining traveling companions.

The aesthetic Riccardi creates is absolutely stunning, twisting the very landscape into a living, anthropomorphic mass, from talking trees to woman-shaped mountains, all picked out in searing neo hues that only help to accentuate the hallucinogenic, Alice in Wonderland-esqe vibe of this latest chapter. The final pages see the art duties shifting to Dennis Manheere as our trio find themselves venturing deeper and deeper into the code, providing a jarring (but no less beautiful) alternative to the vibrant, colourful aesthetic of the rest of the issue.

It’s also worth singing the praises of Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, who once again proves to be just as much of a quote-unquote “artist” as he is a quote-unquote “letterer”, not only integrating the dialogue seamlessly into the artwork but actually making it a living, breathing part of the art itself.

Personally, I’d love to see some of the themes on display here being explored a little more deeply, as other than June’s own trauma and her burning need to change the world to save the one she loves, a lot of the supporting characters and the whole “oh my god we’re living in a simulation” situation feels fairly surface level at this point, with the expansive creative team letting the dizzying visual spectacle do the bulk of the heavy lifting to this point. However, given Kaplan’s stellar track record, including the absolutely stunning Mindset, also at Vault Comics, I have absolutely no doubt that everything will come together beautifully before the story is over.

Described by Kaplan as “a love letter to artists and creatives”, Beyond Real is delivering all that and more, and with a shifting tone and visual style from issue to issue, there’s no possible way to anticipate what’s coming next. Unpredictable, multi-layered and visually arresting, this series is set to be yet another unconventional triumph from Vault Comics.

Rating: 4/5.

[PREVIEW ARTWORK – CLICK TO ENLARGE]