BABYLON COVE #3 (Mad Cave Studios)
As Heather continues to try and get to the bottom of whatever has its grip on her hometown. She runs into her biggest challenge and rival…Other Heather! The girl who all those years ago stole her boyfriend and started Heather’s downward spiral. Can Heather overcome and continue to uncover the evil that has taken over Babylon Cove?
Babylon Cove #3 - Written By Rafer Roberts – Drawn By Joe Eisma - Colors By Marissa Louise – Letters By Crank! - Edited By Ryan Carroll & James B. Emmett - Published By Mad Cave Studios
Credit: Mad Cave Studios
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
STORY OVERVIEW:
As Heather has overstayed her welcome in Babylon Cove, even her boss has become increasingly irritated with her. However, Heather knows she has to figure out what’s happening as she is the only one that knows that evil has its grips on the Cove. Charlie picks up Heather and they make their way to the nursing home. But at the nursing home, Heather must face her biggest challenge yet and that’s the head nurse Heather Murphey aka Other Heather aka Udder Head aka the girl who stole Heather’s boyfriend in high school. Of course, this showdown reveals that there is more to the story than Heather likes to admit. Well they argue and fight it out Karthon becomes more powerful and sets his sight on doing whatever it takes to unleash his love from her prison.
WRITING:
This issue does a strong job of moving the larger story forward while keeping the focus tightly locked on Heather and the messy emotional history that continues to follow her through Babylon Cove. Rafer Roberts keeps several threads active at the same time, but the issue never becomes confusing because each piece of the story feels connected to Heather’s inability to fully recognize her own responsibility in what has happened. On one side, Heather and Charlie are still trying to track down Heather’s statue and understand the growing evil that has taken hold of the town. On the other, Karthon continues to gather strength in the background, making it clear that the supernatural threat is not waiting for Heather to get her life together before it makes its next move.
The confrontation with Other Heather gives the issue its sharpest character work. What could have been played as a simple rivalry is instead used to show that Heather’s version of events is not as clean as she wants it to be. Roberts has built this series around the idea that Heather often presents herself as the victim of everyone else’s choices, but this issue pushes back against that view in a meaningful way. Other Heather is not just an old enemy or a reminder of a painful high school betrayal; she is someone who forces Heather to look at the parts of the past she would rather ignore. That makes their conflict more interesting because it is not only about jealousy or resentment. It is about memory, pride, blame, and the way Heather has shaped her own story to avoid dealing with how much damage she may have caused herself.
Charlie’s role in the issue also adds weight to the writing because his patience with Heather finally starts to crack. His decision to pull away from her feels earned because the story has spent time showing how difficult Heather can be, even when she is technically right about the evil surrounding Babylon Cove. That is one of the more compelling parts of Roberts’s approach. Heather is not wrong about the danger, but she is also not easy to stand beside. Her arrogance and defensiveness make it harder for the people around her to believe her, and that personal flaw ends up helping Karthon almost as much as any spell or ritual. The horror side of the issue benefits from that connection because Karthon’s rise does not feel isolated from the character drama. His power grows while Heather’s relationships continue to fall apart, tying the emotional and supernatural stakes together in a satisfying way.
If there is one thing holding the issue back, it is that the momentum feels more like preparation than payoff. The pieces are moving into place, the danger is clearly increasing, and the character confrontations matter, but the issue could have used one bigger moment to make everything feel more urgent. The tension is present, but it never quite explodes in a way that fully matches the threat Roberts is building. That does not make the issue weak, because the character writing and the steady escalation still work well, but a stronger burst of excitement or a more shocking turn would have pushed it higher. Even so, the issue succeeds at deepening Heather’s flaws, sharpening the conflict with Other Heather, and reminding readers that Karthon’s plans are becoming more dangerous with every chapter.
ARTWORK:
The artwork in this issue continues to capture the strange personality of Babylon Cove and gives the story a lot of its charm. Joe Eisma does a wonderful job making the town feel real, slightly off, and full of secrets without pushing the visuals so far into darkness that the book loses its playful edge. His style works especially well for this series because it can handle both the exaggerated humor of Heather’s personality and the more unsettling horror elements that are beginning to take over the town. The result is a book that feels accessible and fun on the surface, but still carries enough visual tension to remind readers that something dangerous is building underneath everything.
Where Eisma’s work stands out the most is in the character acting. Heather is a character who can be frustrating, funny, defensive, and sincere all within the same scene, and the art sells those shifts through small but important reactions. The facial expressions, side glances, and body language give the reader information that the dialogue does not always say out loud. That is especially important during Heather’s confrontation with Other Heather because the scene depends on the reader understanding that Heather’s version of the past may not be completely reliable. A look, a pause, or a slight expression from another character can say a lot, and Eisma uses those moments well to suggest that there is more going on beneath Heather’s anger than she wants to admit.
The horror elements also work because the art understands the tone of the series. The scary moments have enough bite to make Karthon and the evil spreading through Babylon Cove feel like a real threat, but they never become so graphic or intense that they clash with the book’s more cartoon-influenced style. That balance makes the issue easier to recommend to readers who enjoy horror concepts but may not want something that goes too far into disturbing imagery. Marissa Louise adds a lot to that balance with colors that match the energy of Eisma’s linework. The brighter, more expressive color choices keep the world visually inviting, while the darker and stranger tones help underline the supernatural danger when the story needs to shift into something more ominous. Together, the art and colors give the issue a strong visual identity that supports both the comedy and the horror without letting either side overpower the other.
CHECK OUT MY REVIEW OF BABYLON COVE #2
Final Thoughts:
Babylon Cove #3 is another good issue that keeps the series’ mix of humor, horror, and messy character drama working well. Heather’s confrontation with Other Heather gives the story a sharper personal edge, while Karthon’s growing power keeps the supernatural threat moving forward. The issue still feels more like setup than payoff, but the character work, expressive artwork, and strange atmosphere keep it engaging from start to finish. Overall, this is worth picking up for readers who have enjoyed the series so far. It deepens Heather’s flaws, raises the stakes for Babylon Cove, and leaves enough tension to make the next issue feel important.
FINAL GRADE: 8/10
Let me know your thoughts on Babylon Cove #3 in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
