Dead End Kids #3 Review: It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye

By Nolan P. Smith

 I have enjoyed the mini-series Dead End Kids from Source Point Press since the beginning. The book about a group of troubled teens in a very troubled world caught my interests from issue one and has not let go. With this 3rd and final issue, we see who was responsible for bens murder and where that leaves the Dead End Kids by the end of the issue.

By Frank Gogol, Nenad Cviticanin, Sean Rinehart, and Criss Madd, this book hits you like a ton of bricks. We see at the very beginning a flash-forward sequence, taking place in 2019, as Murphy stands in front of a grave apologizing. What we don’t know is what happened before. There lies all the emotional turmoil we experience this issue. Murphy, Tank, and Amanda figure out who killed their friend Ben, and it’s a swerve, for sure. So is the reasoning behind it. We get a high tension face-off, and by the end of the book, life isn’t all sunshine and closure. 

Gogol has created a very emotional, very surreal tale of life and the twisting paths we all take. This issue is the perfect way to say goodbye to the group but to also emphasize that art imitates life, and life is extremely hard at times. I love the artwork here; I love the way the colors change drastically when it is in the cold of the night. This series, though only three issues long, hits harder than most books on the shelves today. I hope we get to either revisit these kids one day or get a spiritual successor of a series, as I am blown away by Dead End Kids and Source Point Press. Will be on my list for Best of 2019, no doubt. 

Rating: 10 out of 10.

Nolan P. Smith is the Editor and Co-Founder of Pastrami Nation. Being a reporter for the past ten years, he has worked for a variety of media outlets, from newsprint to the ever-evolving internet platform. Residing in Victorville, CA, writing has always been a significant aspect of his life. You can usually find him at comic book conventions, looking for more amazing books to dive into, or at the gym at odd times of the night. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter @nolanpsmith, and Instagram @kakooee.