House of Night #3
Story by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
Script by Kent Dalian
Art by Joelle Jones and Daniel Krall
Colors by Ryan Hill and Daniel Krall
Letters by Nate Piekos of Blambot
Cover by Jenny Frison
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: January 11, 2012
Cover Price: $2.99

Whereas most teenagers are obsessed with dating, school, and parties, Zoey Redbird has other things that occupy her life. Of course, since she is a magic-wielding vampire that pretty much explains it all. in House of Night #3 we get a bit more background regarding both who Zoey is and who she was before being marked by the goddess Nyx. For the record, the events in this series take place between scenes in the second novel, Betrayed, from the House of Night book series.

This issue starts off with the local townspeople marching upon the gates of the vampire school, demanding that they leave the area. The crowd even includes some of Zoey’s family and they are definitely not supportive of what has happened to her. Her emotions run hot and she says and does a few things that don’t quite improve the situation.

We also get another dose of history, this time in the form of a tale of Odysseus and a pivotal piece of his legendary journey. Even Circe makes an appearance, establishing a much different myth than what you and I might have read in grade school. There is a bit of a moral message to be found here but I will leave it to you to discover it. These lessons are best learned without interference.

This comic closes with a tad more family-oriented interaction between Zoey and the person to whom she was the closest. It ends on a positive note but doesn’t seem completely done. We may see a bit more of the locals in the near future, it wouldn’t seem illogical at this point. I can see a lot of story to be found dealing with interpersonal relationships and probable clashes with the citizens of Tulsa.

As in my review of the first issue, I enjoyed the storyline as presented by Kent Dalian. It was quick and witty, keeping me entertained throughout the story. That’s the good news… Unfortunately, I was not as impressed with some of the art like I was in issue #1. The main story was well drawn and colored but the tale of Odysseus and Circe was reminiscent of Disney’s Hercules. And while I think they were trying to render it in an ancient Greek style, it still didn’t seem to mesh well with the overall feel of the comic. I look forward to seeing more work from artists Joelle Jones and Daniel Krall, hopefully it gets back to the same level that I loved before.

I think that if you enjoyed the first couple of issues then you will definitely like this one. The story took an unexpected turn and the character seems to be growing from the different stories. For three bucks, it’s worth your effort to grab it.