This issue of “The Movement” had me on the edge of my seat for much of the read. Emotions are raw throughout this story, with so much on the line on three fronts. As we pick up from last issue, the police know that two of their own have been taken hostage. The members of the Movement are split into two fronts, with Katharsis in danger of being taken prisoner by the most corrupt members of the police and the rest of the team coming up against a very powerful being who may just be the Cornea Killer. With so much on the line, the questions keep coming up…how far are you willing to go? What are you willing to do? Just how far is too far? Issue #3 of “The Movement” builds the tension to a high point, continuing one of the very best new series of the year!

MILD SPOILERS AHEAD

This issue picks up with Katharsis in a battle with corrupt police officers working under the leadership of the most corrupt and powerful man in town, James Cannon. This is a particularly brutal battle, and no one is willing to hear Katharsis’ declaration last issue that she is, in fact, one of them – a cop herself. Cannon proves to be a particularly brutal, racist, disgusting human being – while so many characterizations in this series are purposely placed in shades of gray, this big bad is 100% horrible. That’s important to keep in mind. As for the police? Their motivations are mixed – some are corrupt and willing puppets of Cannon, but others are driven more by the thought that two of their own are being held hostage and may be in mortal danger. Either way, there is a choice to be made…just what lines are you willing to cross, even to save fellow officers in need?

Meanwhile, the members of the Movement are having their own issues on several levels. Just how do you treat hostages, even very corrupt members of the police force who have done some awful things in the recent past? And, as the rest of the crew meet up with that very powerful person who showed up at the end of last issue – how far will this new meta go and how far will our heroes go to win the battle? If this is the Cornea Killer, what do you do to end the threat? And, how can you be sure? (And, how far will Mouse go to save his rats?) It is very difficult to go further here without spoilering too much…let’s just leave it at that this does a wonderful job of exploring what people are willing to do…or not…to deal with the threats to this neighborhood. After the battle we see a choice given to an honest cop who wants to do the right thing…if he could just find out what that is. And, the cliffhanger means we will have the amazing tension of this issue ratcheted up several more notches very soon!

Gail Simone has created a look at both society and the superhero genre in a unique way, one that will have people talking for a very long time. There are difficult choices for everyone here, and not everyone makes the right choice every time. “The Movement” shows what can happen when society breaks down, when so many forces come into play to fill the vacuum created by that dissolution of the old rules and the previous order. There are a lot of differing ideas and approaches…and a lot of raw emotions coming into play. This is not your Silver Age bright-colors-and-shiny-logos super story. It had me at times enraged at the cruelty of some of the characters here, terrified of what could come next, and always gripped in an amazing storyline by Simone, illustrated spot-on by Freddie Williams II with colors by Chris Sotomayor. This is one of the very best series coming out of the New 52, and one of the very best new series of the year, period. Be sure to grab “The Movement”!