I am getting nervous about the direction that Ozymandias is starting to take. The first issue was the standard origin story, while the second issue detailed Veidt’s first outing as a vigilante. This issue is almost entirely focused on the origins of the second group of Minutemen.

First, I think the art still does a lot here to carry the book. I won’t get into it too much, considering I have raved about the art in two other reviews. I loved every image on every page, but the book as a whole was a bit disappointing. Mostly, the problems in this book had to do with the writing. No, there weren’t any hurms here, but there was a lot that felt crammed in.

The first act had an amusingly unnecessary fight that didn’t resolve anything or reveal anything about the characters. If we follow the Scott Pilgrim philosophy of comics, where comics are a musical and the fights are the songs, then parts of this book felt like Rock of Ages or Mamma Mia!. The fight was there, because the last issue ended with the dramatic prelude to a fight. That’s it.

There were also scenes in the second act where Veidt acted like a petty jerk. Yes, he is the villain-ish guy in the overall story, but he only works as a villain, because he believes that he is noble. Having Ozymandias, king of kings and the smartest man in the world, act like a cocksure know-it-all in high school doesn’t elevate the conversation or bring anything new to the story.

Ultimately, what really turned me off in this book was act three. This is the part where he begins to build his Antarctic fortress. Some of the details were neat, but it felt pointless. I know what he is building. I know what he is planning. I was hoping to see why, not how. Veidt is almost as inscrutable as he was in Watchmen, even though the entire comic is his freaking diary. In fact, the narration is from right before he hits the switch at the end of Watchmen. I was excited for the unreliable guided tour of Adrian Veidt’s mind, and all I got was the chapter before Watchmen.

Three So That’s What He Said When He First Met Captain Metropolises out of Five.