You can't take away from the impressive overall scope of this first Fairest arc, or the character moments created within. Willingham's sly smile does show through a little too clearly in the end, though, as readers may be imagining the script coming from the writer's mouth instead of his characters' mouths.

If you don't mind the nagging feeling that much of the whole Murder Circus production is window dressing, you'll be able to appreciate the teen drama at the heart of this book. Aaron has set up a nice dynamic with two interesting and relatively new characters for the near future. Let's just hope that the comedy that has bolstered this series for so long returns next issue.