Welcome to an all new edition of Parlay Points, the comic book review blog to the ODPH podcast.

For this entry, we’re checking out the first chapter of the final arc for a fantasy series on the Comixology Originals line that you want to keep your eyes out for. Season 3 of BREAKLANDS by Justin Jordan, Tyasseta, Sarah Stern, and Rachel Deering welcomes readers back to the adventures of Kasa Fain and her brother Adam as they look to be the deciding factors in the fate of the world. Seasons 1 and 2 of BREAKLANDS are available now on Comixology but let’s take a closer look to see how the concluding chapter sets the season up, shall we?

BREAKLANDS #11
Justin Jordan, Tyasseta, Sarah Stern, and Rachel Deering
Credit: Comixology Originals

*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***

If you’re just checking this series out, the world as you know it has vastly changed. The entire population has powers…EVERYONE! One hundred and fifty years after this has happened and the landscape has changed. Through this new environment, readers have met Kasa Fain, her brother Adam, Gargarin, Toy, who has pyrotechnic powers, and the nearly impenetrable Ruth to name a few. With danger lurking around every turn, can Kasa (even with her evolving powers as a Null) keep the people she cares about safe or will they succumb to the Breaklands they live in?

The season premiere kicks off with Gargarin speeding away with an unconscious Adam, narrating his actions. Feeling that there’s one way to escape this reality of “the Break”, Gargarin talks thorough his actions. As Gargarin takes Adam through the terrain, readers see a huge image that appears to be Shining City. Once they approach, an unseen attack forces them to stop. Chocking to death, Gargarin makes a plea for the voice talking claiming he can find the null. The attack stops and the pair are let into the city. The Magister confronts them and takes Adam into medical treatment. Gargarin claims Rask, who has been the imposing antagonist of this series, was behind this. However, the Magister doesn’t believe him and takes Gargarin as prisoner!

Meanwhile, Toy and Ruth are travelling with an unconscious Kasa in the back seat. During their conversation concerning Rask, Kasa wakes up confused and asking about her brother. Toy updates her about Gargarin’s actions. With Rask and the Kingdom now looking for Kasa, the future looks bleak. Readers get to witness the major players advance towards the endgame. Will Gargarin survive returning to the Shining City? What levels is Rask willing to go to? Can Kasa save her brother? There are many thoughts coming out of this issue with a finale sequence that shows this conclusion has only just begun.

BREAKDOWN: Jordan hits the ground running with the season premiere. New readers might be a bit lost at first with what is unfolding but can pick things up quickly. Gargarin’s story showed how the Magister is seeing Adam as a weapon for what lies ahead. His actions come across cold and vindictive to the plans he has involving Adam. It mirrors what Rask has planned out for Kasa. With having two people as perceived as powerful as they are, Jordan sets them the brother and sister as pawns to be used in a much grander scale later. Pacing gives readers enough time to connect (or reconnect for longtime readers) with the cast that as things move quickly, there still is enough time to become invested in the final play.

Tyasseta brings a very clean and energetic style to the book. The full page visual of Shining City is one that jumps out when reading this issue. It gives readers a full idea into why Gargarin is so desperate to get back inside with the detailed panels. Once Adam has been taken into medical treatment/custody, the switch to the pink coloring when using his powers is a noticeable touch that works. The panels with Rask also are noteworthy. Seeing Rask’s rage boil up to unleashing his power onto his followers makes a statement while giving a dramatic build thrown in. Kasa’s time in the book captures the panic she feels when realizing what Gargarin has done. The emotional outbursts continue with a very direct point once Adam realizes he’s still missing his sister. This all helped illustrate the interest in the siblings. Great final panel to set things in motion heading towards the season/series conclusion.

FINAL POINT: Breaklands season 3 kicks off with all the major players moving closer to what can only be a world-shattering event. Jordan, Tyasseta, and the team deliver on solid writing and energetic art to set the final trek in motion for a pair of super-powered siblings caught in the crossfire of a much larger scale conflict. Keep an eye out for this book on New Comic Book Day on Comixology Originals.

Hit me up on ODPH social media and let me know what you think of Breaklands #11. Thanks for reading.

BREAKLANDS #11 (COMIXOLOGY ORIGINALS)

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