Amanda McKee has escaped from the mercenaries that were holding her but not without a gift that has dampened her powers and could kill her. After being on the run for a week, Amanda heads to her safe house. She thinks the coast is clear until a figure from her past at the Harbinger Foundation attacks her. What follows is a brutal fight that not only tests Amanda physically but mentally.

Livewrie #3
Written By: Vita Ayala
Art By: Raul Allen, Patricia Martin and Scott Koblish
Published By: Valiant Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: 2/13/2019

Amanda McKee has escaped from the mercenaries that were holding her but not without a gift that has dampened her powers and could kill her. After being on the run for a week, Amanda heads to her safe house. She thinks the coast is clear until a figure from her past at the Harbinger Foundation attacks her. What follows is a brutal fight that not only tests Amanda physically but mentally.

Writer Vita Ayala tells a story that is deeply personal for Amanda. She faces a lot of demons from her past in her fight with Pan. It’s during these flashbacks that readers get a glimpse at not only the rivalry between Amanda and Pan but the teachings of their former boss and mentor Toyo Harada who led the Foundation. While I did enjoy this story and it was nice to see further tie ins to the Harbinger series, I can see where new readers can be thrown off by this new enemy. For those that are unfamiliar with previous series it can be a bit jarring and readers can become confused. Also, Pan’s powers aren’t explained that well. Despite this, Ayala does a good job with trying to bring new readers in.

The art by Raul Allen, Patricia Martin and Scott Koblish is stunning. Every single panel is beautiful to look at. There aren’t a lot of panels in this book that have small moments, most of them are focused on the fight between Livewire and Pan. This fight is very brutal and the reader can feel every single blow that the characters deliver on each other. The team also does an amazing job of conveying the emotion of the story. There are panels where the reader can see the pure pain and rage on Amanda’s face throughout the brawl. As a comic book reader and fan, I look forward to seeing more from this art team as the series goes on.

As I stated earlier, I enjoyed this issue and I look forward to seeing how this story continues.

4 exploding safe houses out of 5