Man’s Best #3: Mind the Cheeseburger Heads
Creative Team
writers: PORNSAK PICHETSHOTE
artist/colorist: JESSE LONERGAN
letterer: JEFF POWELL
publisher: BOOM! STUDIOS
Reviewed by Seth Adrian Romo
Man’s Best #3 is a mind-bending read, packed with trippy art and tension between the team of emotional support animals.
In this issue, Athos (a mech cat) and Porthos (a robot-legged retriever) find themselves separated from their teammate, Lovey, after being attacked last issue. Now, resentment is growing as the two sort out their next plan of action.
The crux of this issue revolves around the schisms within the team that are pulling Athos and Porthos apart—especially when lack of confidence from Athos is putting everyone in danger. The issue begins with them arguing and quickly sends the team into a drug-like dream sequence where higher level beings can only be interpreted as food.
Writer Pornsak Pichetshote has crafted a memorable story thus far, as well as three of the most charming characters in comic books. While the script is a tad heady, there is still a lot to appreciate as Athos and Porthos are given moments to be honest with each other. Whether or not this brings them closer in the end remains to be seen, but this mid-series issue is chocked full of drama.
Artist and colorist Jesse Lonergan continues on this series and from cover to the last panel—this issue has a lot going on visually. While the art is dynamic and deserves a moment to appreciate all of the details, the amount of elements on the page overshadows the characters and word bubbles. It’s still worth a read—especially as Athos and Porthos take jabs at each other—but it would benefit the reader to take their time as it’s easy to miss something.
Final Verdict
While this installment is still enjoyable, the bizarre imagery combined with dialogue-heavy panels may be overwhelming. However, despite not being as strong as previous entries, there is still lots of charm.
| Criteria | Score |
|---|---|
| Writing | 9.0 |
| Story/Plot | 8.5 |
| Art/Line Work | 8.0 |
| Colors | 8.50 |
| Final Score | 8.6/10 |