But first, I want to talk about the art a little.

Pugh has some really stunning panels this issue, even better than usual. There’s a lot of action and it’s all very well executed, but there are these occasional, amazing panels. It’s like he knew he didn’t have enough space and used particular panels to slow down the reader’s pace.

Because he doesn’t have enough space, Pugh does something rather annoying. He changes the point of view towards the end of the issue. Alice starts narrating about six pages from the end. It’s understandable why he does it (as the issue progresses, it becomes increasingly clear he needed either another issue or another ten pages) and it’s a solution. It’s not a particularly good one.

Luckily, Alice is such a strong character it’d be hard to go wrong; Pugh doesn’t.

It’s cramped, but lovely.

Pugh has some pacing issues but I think the big problem is… three issues isn’t enough Hotwire. He’s moving the series toward a close–and he’s doing an admirable job fitting a lot in (whether it’s Alice being well-liked or the stuff between the ghost soldier and the zombie)–but it’s clear he knows the end is near.

It’s like he had enough story for four issues, then had to fit it into three issues. As the only comic with any artistic integrity Radical has ever published, it’s horrifying Hotwire gets the shaft here.

The artwork is beautiful, but it’s really about how he defines his character. The three panels where Alice talks to her belligerent artificially intelligent teddy bear is better than anything I’ve read in a while.

Even with the rapid pace, the ending is sublime. Somehow Pugh has made Alice’s condescending attitude towards everything rather comforting.

Hmm… I don’t like Pugh’s cliffhanger. I get the need for it, to establish the bad guys of this series as the mercenaries–not just incompetent but evil (did Pugh write this issue before or after Obama renewed Blackwater’s contract?)–but it’s not a solid ending.

The issue opens with this amazing one-page retelling of the previous series. Pugh’s artwork is so meticulous, so perfect, it’s the ideal way to enter the new series, to acclimate.

Then the series alternates its pace between action and reflection. Pugh really handles it well, given he didn’t start as a writer; his structure suggests otherwise. He manages a bunch of flashbacks, three separate present day story threads and more.

The key, and the reason the cliffhanger disappoints, is Alice. She’s such a solid lead, taking the ending away from her, even for two pages, leaves the issue unstable.

Still very good though.