Review: Crowded Volume 3

Writer: Christopher Sebela
Line Art: Ro Stein, Ted Brandt
Colorists: Triona Farrell, Diana Sousa
Letterer: Cardinal Rae
Publisher: Image Comics
Released: February 16, 2022

I can’t believe it took me a whole year to sit down and read Crowded Volume 3. This series has been an absolute blast, and I’m sad to see it go. But I knew the ending was going to be worth the read. If you haven’t checked this series out but enjoy action, comedy, and drama, you’re missing out!

Last we saw, Charlie and Vita hit their roughest point yet – which is saying something. Charlie decided it was a good idea to fire Vita, despite the numerous people trying to kill her. The new bodyguard probably made that decision feel a bit safer.

Enter Circe. She’s an assassin pretending to be a bodyguard. She clearly wants to get close to these two – the question is, why? Read on and find out!

Writing

Crowded Volume 3 is a whirlwind of a read. We’ve got a bit of everything, action, drama, humor – dog-naming, the works. It’s a chaotic balance, but it is balanced. Christopher Sebela did a fantastic job of creating characters that are both incredibly annoying but endearing.

For example, I know that I wouldn’t be capable of putting up with Charlie in real life, but I’ll miss reading about her. The strong contrast between personalities helped to heighten the mix of drama and humor, with a dash of will-they-won’t-they.

Crowded quickly became one of my favorite series because of the way it made me laugh. This third volume is no exception. It shocked me into laughing on more than one occasion. I’ll confess that I may have forced my husband to read a page or two because I found it too delightful not to share (obviously, he didn’t get why I was crying with laughter).

There are several massive twists in Crowded Volume 3. I won’t ruin them – don’t worry. But I will say that they were pretty well done. You can see a couple of them on the horizon, so when they finally do occur, it makes sense and fits into the larger world.

All things said and done; I will miss this chaotic group. Vita, Charlie, Circe, and their dog (who finally got a name!). Thanks for all the laughs.

Art

The good news is that the artwork Crowded Volume 3 is just as brilliant as the writing. I do mean that. The art and writing go hand-in-hand in this series, and I don’t think either would be quite so amazing without the other.

Ro Stein (art), Ted Brandt (art), Triona Farrell (colorist), Diana Sousa (colorist), and Cardinal Rae (letterer) went above and beyond for this volume. A LOT is happening on the pages. Sometimes it is literally just background mess, because the drama is at the forefront. It adds so much to the overall (intentionally) chaotic feeling.

I’ve got to admit that one of my absolute favorite elements about this artwork is the lettering. Crowded Volume 3 has some of the best lettering I’ve seen in a while. It’s funny and fits in tone with everything else – which means it’s also delightfully chaotic. More, please!

Conclusion

Crowded Volume 3 was everything I had hoped for, and perhaps a little bit more. It leaned heavily on personal drama and action, throwing jokes all over the place. In other words, it was perfect. I loved the artwork, character development, and conclusion. It is exactly what the fans deserved.

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