Warhammer 40,000: Will Of Iron #3 - Titan Comics

WARHAMMER 40,000: WILL OF IRON No. 3, January 2017

Murderously merging this mini-series’ four potentially problematic sub-plots into one action-packed, blood-soaked gestalt of a publication, George Mann’s narrative for Issue Three of “Warhammer 40,000: Will Of Iron” arguably contains enough explosions, bolter pistols, chainswords and grisly decapitations to sate the appetite of even the most voracious devotee to the “dystopian science fantasy universe.” In fact, the titanic tussle between the Dark Angels and Iron Warriors on the planet Exyrion provides this title’s readers with a glimpse of practically every sort of weapon known to the servants of the Emperor, including battleships, drop pods, thunderhawks, rhinos, and Ravenwing bikers, as well as the vicious machinery of their chaotic counterparts; “Exyrion shall be defended.”

Quite cleverly however, rather than just sweepingly recount the planet-wide destruction that is taking place, the Sidewise Award-nominee’s storyline instead swiftly refocuses upon the underground exploits of Balthus, just as soon as Beoth has been ordered to “reclaim what is ours” by the Chaos Lord Korus. This particular writing ploy is a sound one, as it quickly leads to the audience experiencing all the claustrophobic concerns of the “devoted and loyal” Adeptus Astartes as they try to survive “the death-trap warrens of an inverted hive city filled with monstrous mutants”, as opposed to them simply being ineffectually carried ever onwards by an endless succession of battle scenes and splash-pages. 

The Darlington-born “Doctor Who” novelist even manages to give Altheous some significant ‘screen-time’, courtesy of a decidedly overlong conversational sequence set on the planet Tintaroth, where the Interrogator-Chaplain waxes lyrical to his (dis)courteous hosts as to the terminal fate their world faces should they chose not to side with Lion El'Jonson’s legion against the raging Chaos Host. Unfortunately though, much like the frames featuring Astor Sabbathiel, these departures from the Calaphrax Campaign carnage significantly slow down the twenty-one page periodical’s pace, and additionally raise some disconcerting questions as to some of the cast’s motivations.

For example, why does the “sombre, serious and dedicated” Altheous permit one of the nobles to live, having heard him speak heresy by stating that the Emperor of Mankind “holds no dominion here”? And, having found nothing but “the remains of an ancient squad of Dark Angels”, why does the Ordo Hereticus Inquisitor somewhat faintheartedly flee back to her ship from a derelict orbiting space installation, preposterously stating that “there is much to consider”?

The regular cover art of "WARHAMMER 40,000: WILL OF IRON" No. 3 by Nick Percival