A child's stick figure drawing runs wild in Clear #3 preview

Clear #3 excerpt
Clear #3 excerpt (Image credit: Francis Manapul/Andworld Design (Best Jackett PRess/comiXology))

The real trauma at the heart of the creator-owned series Clear begins to be exposed in a preview of December 21's Clear #3.

Clear #3 cover (Image credit: Francis Manapul/Andworld Design (Best Jackett PRess/comiXology))

In previous issues, we were introduced to World War III veteran Dunes, who managed to build a new life for himself with a wife and child. But his wife Kendra died under mysterious circumstances, leaving Dunes trying to figure out what happened.

Clear is set in a near-future Earth - think Blade Runner - with dazzling neon noir thanks to artist Francis Manapul, who is even coloring his own work. Working with writer Scott Snyder, Manapul's Clear is a magnificent world of our dreams but the story reveals a nightmare scenario. At the core of it is the promise that all people are connected to the Internet… but that's also the nightmare, as you can imagine.

In this preview of Clear #3, Dunes flashes back to better times when he and his family are riding in a car together. But in a possible portent to the truth behind his wife's mysterious death, bad things happen.

Check out this preview of Clear #3:

Clear is part of an expansive line of creator-owned comics Scott Snyder is writing/organizing as part of his company Best Jackett Press, with some being published digitally-first in a deal with Amazon's digital comics platform comiXology.

Clear #3 goes on sale on December 21 as part of comiXology's comiXology originals program. The digital-first series is expected to be collected in 2022 as part of a partnership with Dark Horse Comics.

Make sure you've read our best comics of 2021. (Spoilers, but Clear's sister title Night of the Ghoul made out top 10.) 

Chris Arrant

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)