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Millennium #3
Released by: IDW Publishing
Released on: April 1st, 2015
Writer: Joe Harris
Artist: Colin Lorimer
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Not caught up on this series? You can fix that here. Now onto the third issue of this series based on the cult Fox TV series! When this issue begins, Frank is running through a cemetery in Seattle, the rain coming down around him. He's been shot with a dart of some sort and he's flashing back to Catherine's death as he approaches her grave site. Jordan finds him there.
Twenty-four hours prior, Frank was in a nondescript cafe looking up info on Monte Propps on his computer. He digs deeper into the Millennium Group's database and looks up info on Jordan only for a complete stranger to approach him to discuss her situation, however vaguely. Meanwhile, Agent Mulder and some very familiar looking computer hacker types are going 'deep web' into the Millennium Group's digital history, but getting in is only the first part - once they're there, they're easily lost. What they are able to ascertain, however, is that Frank Black, who vanished quickly from that café, bought a one way ticket home on a plane that just landed in Seattle. We see him land, a driver chauffeurs him to a destination that he won't reveal but on the way, those visions he's plagued with… he sees Catherine again. All of this tie into the opening pages, as someone welcomes Frank back to Seattle in a rather unorthodox manner…
Harris' script is a good one, providing rock solid character development and some really strong moments of suspense and horror in fairly equal doses. The story is doing some interesting things in exploring Black's family life, his relationship with his semi-estranged daughter and the still painful loss of his wife Catherine in particular. While these elements are explored in admirably realistic and mature fashion, Black's past and its ties to the Millennium Group obviously come back to haunt him. How could they not? Agent Mulder continues to keep tabs on Black and using The Lone Gunmen in this issue was a nice touch, tying into the continuity shared by both Millennium and The X-Files without turning it into a cheap cameo. Don't go into this story blind though, you'll want to make sure you've caught up with the two issues prior or you'll have no idea what's going on. But if you are caught up? This is great stuff, completely in keeping with the dark style that made the original TV series so enthralling.
Colin Lorimer again compliments Harris' story nicely. He's got a very dark, ink-heavy approach to bringing this world to life but it's entirely appropriate for illustrating the various locations used in the book, the rainy Seattle cemetery being a perfect example. His panel layout is fairly cinematic and it uses some interesting angles to convey tension, nice use of shadows here too resulting in some pretty suspenseful pages. Add to this some appropriately ominous coloring work from Joanna Lafeunte and you wind up with a book that looks as good as it reads. Cool menton3 cover too! Great stuff.
