New Comics!: inFAMOUS Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

inFAMOUS #3:  This mini-series keeps getting better and better in terms of the plot.  We see Cole stuck between a rock and a hard place:  if he doesn't leave the city, Moya will bomb it into the Stone Age; if he does, he's essentially abandoning it to the gangs.  But, we get a few twists and turns as well that complicate matters.  First, Moya is actually trying to protect Cole, since he's the link for her (and the military, apparently) to replicating the Ray Sphere experiment.  Second, Kessler's monster (who I think is the Beast, or at least some earlier version of him) is chasing Cole because he thinks he's Kessler (which, of course, he is).  This turn of events seems to be the action-forcing event that will force Cole to leave Empire City, lest the monster kill more people in pursuit of him.  I can't wait to see where it goes next.  The fact that I'm going to get to play the game after this mini-series ends is really just icing on the cake!  This issue has two main drawbacks, though.  First, William Harms isn't great when it comes to writing emotions.  I'm not really sure why Cole got so...whiny in this issue and I was confused why he has his emotional break-down on Zeke's couch.  I mean, yes, he's had a lot happen over the last few weeks, so you could argue it was the combined stress of all those events.  But, Harms doesn't actually argue that; we're just presented it with no real explanation for why Cole is in the mental space he is.  The other drawback here is the art, which is rushed.  But, to be honest, I'm really reading this comic as a fan of the game, so the answers we're getting plot-wise compensate for the occasionally weak writing and spotty art. 

inFAMOUS #4:  This issue not only gets us some answers, but promises us more answers in the future.  We see here how Moya learns of John White (who, in the game, she pretends is her husband to get Cole to find him).  We also get confirmation that Kessler went rogue when he set off the Ray Sphere to "activate" Cole, since Moya is trying to arrest him.  Moya finally gets her hands on Cole here, so we're likely to get some answers about her and the government's plans when she and Cole have their "long talk."  We're also seeing the reporters from the last few issues sneak into Empire City to get see how bad it is with their own eyes, which should significantly shake up the status quo.  Cole's dream sequence is odd, though.  He refers to just wanting to protect his "wife and two daughters," but, of course, they weren't his, they were Kessler's.  I know it's a dream, so it doesn't really have to make sense, but it left me feeling a little confused about the point Harms was trying to make.  Why would Cole be so grief stricken over daughters he never had?  Plus, to be honest, we had kind of put to bed the guilt Cole felt over Trish, so it's weird to see it return.  Anyway, I'm definitely looking forward to getting some information from Moya in the next issue, and even more so the return of Sasha. 

inFAMOUS #5:  This issue is a little lackluster in part because Cole spends most of it imprisoned by Moya.  Most of the issue is dedicated to the two intrepid reporters interviewing survivors of the Ray Sphere explosion and getting confirmation that the government is lying about its activities and "support" of Empire City.  We see Zeke and the cop with whom he and Cole have been working approaching the aircraft carrier where Cole is being held.  However, in the end, Cole is freed by Sasha, who has managed to free herself.  I can't remember if she did so in the last issue or if it was ever explained how she did.  But, it feels a little forced (she only managed to free herself from Moya's clutches just in time to free Cole?) as well as unnecessary (why bother having Zeke and the cop try to rescue Cole at all?).  Sasha's character wasn't really all that well developed in the game, if I remember correctly, so her motives are all the more confusing here.  However, Harms does a good job in this issue building up the tension as we wait to see how some loose ends are going to resolve themselves, like whether the reporters are going to manage to get out their story and how Cole is going to defeat (or if he's going to defeat) Kessler's monster.  I still don't know if this series would appeal (or make sense) to people who aren't fans of the game, but, as a fan of the game, I'm still pretty satisfied.  Most importantly, I'm keenly anticipating the release of the game, exactly what Sucker Punch wants!