In Review: Huck: Big Bad World #3 – Powers, Fear, and Secrets

Synopsis: Huck, his mother and the mysterious Dr Harper travel the world meeting people who have gifts like theirs. This time they meet a girl who can bring anything back to life. But why are the super-people in hiding? What are they AFRAID of?

The Story

Huck, his mum, and Dr. Harper continue their road trip in search of Sophia — the mysterious superpowered woman Dr. Harper fell in love with. Their journey leads them to Gina Sykes, a young woman with an extraordinary ability: she can hear bad things happening within a 100-mile radius. As a result, Gina is constantly on the move, never staying in one place for too long.

Thanks to Huck’s powers, they eventually catch up with her and have a chance to talk. Although Gina can’t help them get any closer to finding Sophia, she shares some startling information: there used to be many more superpowered individuals, but now most have gone into hiding. She also reveals the existence of a secretive organisation known as The Lucus Trust, which appears to have a special interest in people with powers. Even more mysteriously, Gina mentions that every powered person she’s aware of has had some kind of encounter with a mysterious witch.

After helping Gina, the group meets Alex, a young woman who can resurrect dead animals — but only those that died before their time. Huck’s mum wonders whether Alex’s power might extend beyond animals and proposes a bold experiment that leads them to the county morgue.

Despite these encounters, Dr. Harper finds himself no closer to locating Sophia. The team is left with even more questions:
Where are all the superpowered people hiding?
And what does The Lucus Trust really want?

Artwork

Rafael Albuquerque and Dave McCaig continue to deliver atmospheric artwork that gives the comic a grounded, emotional tone — one that perfectly complements the journey Huck, his mum, and Dr. Harper are on. Albuquerque’s illustration of Gina at the start of the issue is particularly striking; the fear in her eyes is palpable and immediately pulls the reader in. Meanwhile, McCaig’s colour palette reinforces the book’s sense of realism, lending it a tactile, almost cinematic quality. His grounded choices make it easy to imagine that these events could be unfolding right now, in our own world.

Overall

I’m really enjoying this book and the road trip feel of Huck and his mum’s journey with Dr. Harper. It has a throwback quality to classic TV series like The Incredible Hulk or The Fugitive—except here, Huck, his mum, and Dr. Harper are searching for superpowered people rather than running from something. But could that change if the Lucus Trust discovers their search?