Spud Coltrane’s killer is still at large and only Will Profane, the victim’s fictional detective, can solve the case. The worlds of fiction and reality continue to intersect in Desecrate #3, which makes it the best issue of the series so far.
Lili catches Will Profane dead on the ground as he stands over Spud Coltrane’s injured rival Ken Kane. But before she can do anything to him, Desecrate In the opening pages of #3, Will’s real-world sponsor Egbert appears, tricks Lili with a toy gun, and saves Will. Ken Kane dies in the confusion and Lili escapes. Will’s investigation has come to a halt without her. But if Will wants to find Lili, he’ll have to survive at least one more round with Honor De’ath.
Maybe it’s an illusion, but Milligan’s script for Will Profane seems to have improved over the course of the series. It’s quite possible that this is the case. In Desecrate #1, when Will was in the fictional world and reacted more directly as a character written by Spud Coltrane, his inner monologue tended toward mediocrity in style and content. In Desecrate #3 Will is a much more introspective character. This is partly because his dialogue is more insightful and his inner monologue has more nuance.
This obvious improvement in writing quality for Desecrate The title character of #3 corresponds to his growing introspection. Will recognizes those aspects of his behavior that come directly from Spud Coltrane’s works. At times, he allows these distinctive character traits to dictate his actions. These cases are usually related to his investigative activities and the resulting current struggles. And depending on what Will does as a result of these character traits, he will either complain or accept the outcome.
However, there are times when Will rebels against the personality Spud Coltrane gave him. Desecrate #3 This attempt at self-discovery is most evident in his interactions with Lili. Although Will has the opportunity to be the stereotypical womanizing detective he should be, he is determined to be a respectful gentleman. Will’s journey of self-discovery overtakes the crime mystery as the most compelling aspect of the series.
As the series progresses, Fernandez finds more and more nuances in Will’s appearance. He experiences a wide range of emotions in Desecrate #3, probably more so than in previous issues. The more generous and detailed line work that Fernandez gives to Will originally gave the impression of an overly gruff, somewhat hardened detective. Here it helps to better bring out his emotions. His crestfallen expression after Egbert saves him betrays genuine concern. Will’s hostility in his final encounter with Honor De’ath is palpable, so the encounter borders on instinctive.
Will’s interactions with Lili, however, are a different story entirely. Fenandez strips out details and the reduction in line work makes Will appear softer overall. Combined with his willingness to question his own nature in these moments, this is the most open character Will has ever been.
Marchisio’s colour scheme creates very specific moods in different places Desecrate #3. It’s most obvious during the fight between Will and Honor De’ath. Marchisio replaces the general atmosphere of the environment with red and orange background colors, starting with the panel where Will thinks he hears something. The background color scheme stays in place for the entire fight, almost three full pages, and is only replaced with the original atmosphere when Honor De’ath escapes.
The violent and emotional mood created by the palette of red and orange for the battle for Honor De’ath contrasts with the softer purple and pink that Marchisio uses later when Will and Lili are together. The color scheme is a good visual sign that the post-battle sequence is safe – an important indicator, since Lili and Will’s motives were not always compatible.
Eckleberry uses a typewriter font similar to Times New Roman for Will’s inner monologue. The stylistic choice is a good reminder that he is a literary figure.
