Into non-existence #3 begins with Selva, Galko and Zara standing over the deep, dark shaft that gave the trio pause at the end of the previous issue. They descend and continue to search for a way out. Hildur is still nowhere to be found. The shaft leads them to other winding caves, and the surroundings become more unusual with every inch.
Thompson embraces the uncanny and the disturbing in Into non-existence #3. The first two issues of the series relied heavily on the characters’ curiosity. Their motivation changes almost entirely here, as they search for a way out of the “cave” by descending into it. The search seems counterproductive. The issue’s story isn’t difficult to follow, but the characters’ actions seem intentionally confusing. Their efforts to leave lead them ever further down. At times, their determination to descend almost seems like a compulsion in the dialogue.
Psychological elements are not completely omitted Into non-existence No. 3, however. Selva’s backstory further rounds out the group. While one character’s past has yet to be explored, it now seems likely that all four original characters came to the environmental organization damaged and with no real common ground. Even their passion for the cause differs. And distrust grows like a steady drip.
Most of what sells Into non-existence The mood of #3, however, is Sherman’s art. Thompson’s script doesn’t provide much definitive in the way of explicit information through dialogue or internal monologue. The issue opens with the characters climbing down what looks like a maw, complete with protrusions that resemble teeth. This sets a certain tone for everything that follows.
Their journey through the rest of the issue begins to resemble the inside of a creature. Eventually, it looks like the characters are moving past a lung. And there’s a sequence where the trio move through a river of blood that looks like arteries. Without these visuals, the characters’ claim that they need to descend further to find a way out would be less threatening.
Non-standard layouts create a growing sense of claustrophobia. As the trio descend, several pages simulate the characters’ journey in some way. First, the abseiling down the shaft is depicted in a series of panels shaped almost like a funnel, with the round central panel at the bottom offering a view far into the long shaft. On a subsequent page, a central bulbous cylinder is flanked on either side by three small panels. Another page further back in the issue is set up almost like an hourglass, but with a wide round room in the middle as the trio pass from one room to the other.
Campbell takes a few opportunities to do something different from the series’ typical, quiet-looking dialogue (small text in a much larger speech bubble full of empty white space). He embellishes two character screams. The first time, it’s a regular oval speech bubble with larger text and a thick red outline. The second scream, much later in the issue, uses larger text with a spiky speech bubble. Due to the very small text used for everything else, these practically explode off the page.
