Eternals #3
Sersi and company go and talk to Thena in Eternals #3, by writer Kieron Gillen, artist Esad Ribic, colorist Matthew Wilson, and letterer Clayton Cowles. Gillen uses this issue to give readers an idea of who Thena is, present the rivalry between her and Sersi rather well, and adds another wrinkle to the mystery of Zura's death and what's going on with the Machine.
Living with the Deviants, the Eternals' ancient enemies, Thena is confronted by Sersi, Kingo, and Sprite about Zuras' death. They reveal that she had met with him earlier in the day, and she had threatened to kill him because of his reaction to her being in love with another Deviant. In New York, Ikaris talks to the Robson family about why he's watching over their son Toby. Back in Lemuria, the Machine thinks about a time before when Thena and Sersi met when Sersi revealed the atrocities that Thena's Deviant lover was committing in a bid for immortality and Thena's reaction to the whole thing. In the present, Druig calls Sersi and reveals that his parents and everyone else in the Eternal city of Polaria are dead, making him the ruler of the city and a suspect.
Gillen has been doing a bang-up job in this book with characterization, using each other story to further the murder mystery plot while also giving readers a glimpse into who the Eternals are. This is pretty necessary because the Eternals were never that huge of a deal, besides for Sersi. This issue focuses on Thena. Thena has always been a Deviant lover- even in Kirby's series, she got with a Deviant, and in Gaiman's book, she had a mortal family. Thena is defined by her love, which is why she finds it so easy to actually love mortals.
This love is seemingly one of her best qualities- she can love beings like the Deviants, who aren't exactly the most beautiful creatures. Her love is so great that it blinds her to their wrongdoings. Love defines who she is, but love doesn't stop her from staying her sword when she needs to use it. She's a warrior with a heart, a rarity, but she doesn't let her heart stop her from doing the right thing.
Ribic's art is great as always. The full-page spread of Lemuria is breathtaking- there's a simplicity to it that makes it work all the better, the spore-like nature of the Deviant structure saying something about the Changing People. In the flashback scene, he perfectly captures the anguish of Thena having to kill her lover and the pain it causes her. His faces can be a little weird-looking sometimes, but other than that, his artwork is stellar.
Eternals #3 is a perfect balance between character building and furthering the plot. Gillen is doing an amazing job with this book so far, laying out who the Eternals are and progressing the story. This issue adds even more wrinkles to the plot, making things that much more interesting. Ribic's art continues to impress, even if his faces can be pretty weird sometimes. Eternals #3 keeps up the quality that this book is quickly becoming known for.
