Gorgeous visuals and brutal truths make #FemaleFuries standout.

Female Furies, Part 3
Writer: Cecil Castellucci
Artist: Adriana Melo
Inks: Hi-Fi
Letters: Sal Cipriano
Covers: Nicola Scott & Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
Editor: Brittany Holzherr; Jamie S. Rich
DC Comics

Every issue of this comic I think it can go any harder and then the next issue comes out and I’m like, ‘I wasn’t ready.’ So…let’s do this.

There’s a moment in Female Furies #3 where you breathe a sigh of relief. Where characters who you know will become heroes, finally seem to be waking up from the nightmare they don’t know they’re in. When Aurielle and Beautiful Dreamer look like they’ve gotten out and have a chance to move on to becoming who – in Aurelie’s case – they could be, free from the shackles of the politics of Apokolips and the tender mercy of Granny Goodness.

Then it literally all comes crashing down.

Cecil Castellucci is crafting such a magnificent, thought provoking story here that it’s hard to fully describe just how good it is. Seeing just how much Granny Goodness has given up, in some cases wounds she’s inflicted on herself, in her desperate need to prove that she’s good enough for Darkseid is upsetting. Watching her turn around and inflict these same wounds on her ‘daughters’ is ten times worse. Aurelie’s story in particular just makes me rage, as does the willful blindness of the other Furies. It’s such a brutal reflection of the real world that I truly hope that some of this makes its way into Ava DuVernay’s film adaptation.

As for the artwork, Adriana Melo and Hi-Fi step up to the plate, providing vivid scenes that back up Castelluci’s words. There are several standouts but Aurelie’s ‘training’ and Beautiful Dreamer’s powers affecting everyone within range are absolutely stunning.

This book is not for the faint of heart but it has a lot to say and all of it needs to be heard.

Five Dreams out of Five