Dune: House Atreides #3by Valarie NicharicoReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 8 Issue #3 opens on Giede Prime, at the palace of Vlad Harkonnen as the entourage of the Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother arrives. Harkonnen is not at all happy with their unannounced and uninvited arrival, nor is he interested in doing business with "witches". The Reverend Mother has come to discuss bloodlines and breeding, angering Harkonnen who has no interest in becoming a stud for their plans. The Bene Gesserit is never unprepared however and has plenty of blackmail to get their point across.From here, we go to the Hunt, and a young Duncan Idaho attempting to win his freedom. There is a brief exchange between him and his captors before he is left to fund for himself. He soon proves that he is not to be underestimated. Next, we travel to Ix where Leto Atreides was left stranded in the desert. He soon learns why Ix is called The Machine Planet as he travels into its subterranean depths to meet the royal family. Here, I feel the art does little justice to what should be shining, metal cities tucked into the cavernous interior of the planet. While the architecture is elaborate and some panels do attempt to show a sense of scale, the grainy texturing of the comics' predominant art style lends far better to the surface of Ix than to its interior. On Kaitain in the private chambers of the Crown Prince, we learn of his treachery through talks of poison, spice, and the Bene Tleilaxu (Essentially, the male counterparts to the Bene Gesserit. Genetically altered humans with a taste for biological "enhancements"). Finally, we are back on the Spice Planet of Arrakis with Imperial Planetologist Kynes as he attempts to learn more about the planet and its Fremen inhabitants. The exchange that he witnesses between the Fremen and those sent by Vlad Harkonnen to secure the spice are brief and bloody, and Kynes quickly finds himself among the Fremen he is so curious to learn more about. I find that the writers are making use of each planet in the Dune universe to separate pieces of the story and its characters. As we move from planet to planet, we see the main players in the story and learn of their place in it. I find this to be a successful storytelling device, making it easy to differentiate between breaks in the story as well as knowing what characters will be involved. Written: April 10, 2021
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