Review - Soulfire Vol. 4 #3

When magic goes awry, it really goes awry. When Grace from Soulfire is at the center of uncontrollable magic; well, you'll have to read Soulfire Vol. 4 #3 from Aspen Comics to find out.

The issue is written by J.T. Krul, penciled by Mike DeBalfo and Jonathan Marks, colored by Nei Ruffino and lettered by Josh Reed.

Grace has chosen a dragon manifestation to destroy the city of Rome. That destruction is all it takes to convince Malikai and the others that their involvement is necessary to save the city, the world and likely the universe. That involvement doesn't come without a cost though and even Sarin learns that his role may take precedence over his own his agenda.

Krul has the other magic folk sufficiently fearful of Grace and her stupendous power. She's exacting tremendous damage on the city, but her motives aren't entirely clear as of yet. It really seems as if she's just super-angry and is taking it out on those around her. Sarin shows a bit of his true colors in the process, but everything is being moved into place for the next issue.

The art is very impressive. There's a lot going on in the issue, including tons of fighting and some epic, two-page spreads depicting battles. Grace is presented as a reflection of the true power she's got within. She also shows that she's lost most of what made her who she was. Yes, she relies on the dragon form a lot, but her eyes have lost all of what made her the generous person she was.

The third issue is definitely a middle of the series issue, moving people into place and setting up the conclusion of the series. Grace is a force to be reckoned with and it won't be easy to stop her, but Malikai and the others are showing the determination needed to stop her. This isn't an issue you can just pick up and read, as it's pretty steeped in Soulfire history. If you're a fan of the property, make sure you check the issue out.

Soulfire Vol. 4 #3 is available now with interiors below.