The final installment in Steven Prince’s Tango of the Matadors opens with Ramon facing Miguel’s betrayal of their friendship bond while facing off against the terrifying Volgante and her hordes of children. How will he face down the monstrous enemy when everything he believes appears false? Will Ramon let his personal feelings override his faith-driven vocation, or can he move forward to protect the helpless citizens who depend on him?
The first panels show Adelita facing her uncle in the darkness as he shows her that the true power of a matador is not strength, but the ability to create beauty in the deadly dance between human and bull. He encourages her to study poetry in order to understand his message, but Adelita finally gets acknowledgment that she can be trained to follow in her father’s footsteps. The familial moment between young woman and her father figure warmed my heart, but it also explained how Ramon prevails against the monsters. His faith sustains him, but he is not acting out of pure hatred or a desire for revenge: He restores a balance to the universe with his acts.
Because this is the end to a chapter of Monster Matador, I’ll refrain from providing too many details about the climatic moments. There are losses, gains, and intense monster-whomping action which will keep all readers intrigued until the final panels… which hint at other monsters in this near-future world.
I’ve repeatedly mentioned the dynamic art from the fight sequences in the Monster Matador series, because this type of story lives and dies on its ability to draw readers into the action; however, this time, I noticed the sheer beauty in Ramon’s body language and poses as he faced his various foes. Small details like the placement of his blades and his hands on the sword handles drew my eye and emphasized the similarities between sword fighting and dance. Calling bullfighting poetry in the ring in the first pages may sound flowery, but what Ramon creates in these scenes fits the bill.
Tango of the Matadors#3 completes the latest plot for the courageous and moral Ramon as he strives to protect the helpless from the gigantic monsters in his post-apocalyptic world; however, I have learned that regardless of the ending of a Monster Matador storyline, there can always be more adventures in Steven Prince’s kaiju-filled reality. We’ll just have to wait to see when and where they will pop up.
4.5 Cases of Creating Poetry from Action out of 5
Creative Team: Steven Prince (Story), Fabio Alves (Art, Cover A), Alex Zief (Colors, Cover A,), Katrina Roets (Proofreader), Sam Vargas (Kickstarter Exclusive), Carlos Dearmas (Variant)
Publisher: 2510 Press
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