Malignant Man has a great plot filled with interesting (though
far from unique) ideas that really stand out when compared to other comics, with
likeable characters, solid
writing, and with only a few characters that need some work. This issue is great, but not outstanding,
mostly thanks to the artwork.After finding out he has cancer, Alan Gates finds out
something even more shocking – not only is he not dying but he has a Malignant
in his brain capable of causing absolute havoc. With the help of his friend Sarah, who has a Malignant of her
own, Alan sneaks into Area 51 while the military is under heavy fire by Mr.
Cancer’s men.
The plot for this story created by Saw director James Wan
and written by Michael Alan Nelson may not be as scary (and thankfully not as
unnecessarily gory) as the films Wan is notorious for, but the ideas are
interesting. Many clichés come out
like regenerating limbs and telepathic communication, but they are handled well and the ending
leaves the reader on a great cliffhanger. The origins and capabilities of the Malignant are fascinating and will
be enjoyed by most science-fiction fans. The characters are also enjoyable with Alan being a fun and likeable character. From the beginning of the first issue Alan was introduced as
a character you took pity on with a mysterious past, and now he is given many
funny lines that are actually funny and do not distract the reader from the
story which just makes it more fun to read, putting a much needed comedic twist to
this sci-fi mini-series. Alan’s
personality is perfectly balanced with Sarah’s, a much more serious character who is (as of yet) not played off as a love interest but as a serious help to
Alan with some awesome moves as well.The villains are worse for wear than the heroes in this
issue. While the heroes have a lot
of dialogue and action, all of Mr. Cancer’s men are strictly action. The action is cool, but they are rarely
given dialogue and the few times they are, they're seen whining to their boss or telling
the heroes they’ll be dead in ten seconds – which would be cool if it were the
hero saying it since in their case they are usually able to pull off this
feat. The overall appearances of
Mr. Cancer’s lackeys are reminiscent of the fighters from the Matrix with black
sunglasses at night. It's cliché, and
one of the only ones that does not work in this issue. An even bigger problem is their boss. While his lackeys are pretty cool, when
fighting Mr. Cancer, he seems like your boring, average villain in a fancy
suit. It would have been better to
have just mentioned Mr. Cancer and revealed him at the end as some powerful
entity, but he is presented in a social environment as the typical rich villain
that seems to have no motivation other than "I want to be evil." By the next and final issue (which
seems to have come way too soon) Mr. Cancer will hopefully become interesting –
or at the very least intimidating.
Despite the villains lacking much development of menace, the
major problems with this issue mostly stem from Piotr Kowalksi’s artwork. Even when all the detail is accounted
for in a panel, it is mostly mediocre. But in most of the frames way too many lines are used, and the backgrounds
fail to give me the awe-inspiring feeling I was hoping to get inside of Area
51. The characters were neglected
in the worst way in some panels with their faces sometimes non-existent, making
them look like mannequins. From
the very first page a very serious moment is ruined by the doll-like look of
the characters. More time and
effort was needed to make the artwork more palatable.
Overall, Malignant Man #3 was much better than its poor predecessor. There are errors in the villains'
designs and even more problems with the artwork, but as long as I can watch the
well-paced action, enjoy Alan’s commentary and indulge in the thankfully not
overused gore, I look forward to reading the conclusion of this mini-series and
hopefully having another to enjoy in the future.Overall Score – 8.9/10*Great for Sci-Fi fans*Check out Dustin’s review for Malignant
Man #1 and our duel review for Malignant
Man #2 for more on this sci-fi adventure.
An all-around nerdette, I’m a comic book connoisseur, horror aficionado, video game addict, anime enthusiast and an aspiring novelist/comic book writer. I am the head of the comic book department and the editor-in-chief of Entertainment Fuse. I also write and edit articles for Comic Frontline. I am also an intern at Action Lab Entertainment, a comic book publisher at which I edit comic book scripts, help work on images in solicitations and help with other comic book related project. My own personal website is comicmaven.com.
The plot for this story created by Saw director James Wan
and written by Michael Alan Nelson may not be as scary (and thankfully not as
unnecessarily gory) as the films Wan is notorious for, but the ideas are
interesting. Many clichés come out
like regenerating limbs and telepathic communication, but they are handled well and the ending
leaves the reader on a great cliffhanger. The origins and capabilities of the Malignant are fascinating and will
be enjoyed by most science-fiction fans. The characters are also enjoyable with Alan being a fun and likeable character. From the beginning of the first issue Alan was introduced as
a character you took pity on with a mysterious past, and now he is given many
funny lines that are actually funny and do not distract the reader from the
story which just makes it more fun to read, putting a much needed comedic twist to
this sci-fi mini-series. Alan’s
personality is perfectly balanced with Sarah’s, a much more serious character who is (as of yet) not played off as a love interest but as a serious help to
Alan with some awesome moves as well.
The villains are worse for wear than the heroes in this
issue. While the heroes have a lot
of dialogue and action, all of Mr. Cancer’s men are strictly action. The action is cool, but they are rarely
given dialogue and the few times they are, they're seen whining to their boss or telling
the heroes they’ll be dead in ten seconds – which would be cool if it were the
hero saying it since in their case they are usually able to pull off this
feat. The overall appearances of
Mr. Cancer’s lackeys are reminiscent of the fighters from the Matrix with black
sunglasses at night. It's cliché, and
one of the only ones that does not work in this issue. An even bigger problem is their boss. While his lackeys are pretty cool, when
fighting Mr. Cancer, he seems like your boring, average villain in a fancy
suit. It would have been better to
have just mentioned Mr. Cancer and revealed him at the end as some powerful
entity, but he is presented in a social environment as the typical rich villain
that seems to have no motivation other than "I want to be evil." By the next and final issue (which
seems to have come way too soon) Mr. Cancer will hopefully become interesting –
or at the very least intimidating.
Despite the villains lacking much development of menace, the
major problems with this issue mostly stem from Piotr Kowalksi’s artwork. Even when all the detail is accounted
for in a panel, it is mostly mediocre. But in most of the frames way too many lines are used, and the backgrounds
fail to give me the awe-inspiring feeling I was hoping to get inside of Area
51. The characters were neglected
in the worst way in some panels with their faces sometimes non-existent, making
them look like mannequins. From
the very first page a very serious moment is ruined by the doll-like look of
the characters. More time and
effort was needed to make the artwork more palatable.
Overall, Malignant Man #3 was much better than its poor predecessor. There are errors in the villains'
designs and even more problems with the artwork, but as long as I can watch the
well-paced action, enjoy Alan’s commentary and indulge in the thankfully not
overused gore, I look forward to reading the conclusion of this mini-series and
hopefully having another to enjoy in the future.
Overall Score – 8.9/10
*Great for Sci-Fi fans*
Check out Dustin’s review for Malignant
Man #1 and our duel review for Malignant
Man #2 for more on this sci-fi adventure. 
