Battle Scars has been a fun foray into a different side of the Marvel Universe in the aftermath of Fear Itself – one showcasing the layman's side of the Marvel U. However, issue #3 finds Sergeant Johnson fully thrust into the outlandish world of super-powered mercenaries as a certain Merc with a Mouth makes his debut appearance in this series. Chris Yost continues to weave a competent fish-out-water tale, despite this issue losing focus on the character-centric mentality that the previous issues succeeded in embracing.
Instead of developing the implications of a real war hero being pushed into battle against deadly foes like Taskmaster, Johnson adapts fairly easily to his new surroundings. There is one brief moment of what looks like post-traumatic stress disorder, but it's quickly swept under the rug to in favor of the issue's action centerpiece.
Scot Eaton's work continues to offer solid storytelling when things are moving along at a normal pace, but the increased focus on action here hinders the book a little. Eaton's layouts serve the action well enough, but the dark and rather cacophonous colors of Paul Mounts are a bit of a disservice to Eaton's choreography, as they do little to establish depth. Instead, your eyes linger on the battle scenes far longer than they should to differentiate the figure work, slowing down the brisk pace of the battle and ultimately, the issue as a whole.
Though I'm still intrigued by what this series has to offer, it was disappointing to find issue #3 going the easy route of more action than taking advantage of the great character potential that the first two installments set it up for.
Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on MyIGN. You may or may not discover a profound number of cat pictures.
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