The Red Crystal is the last volume of the trilogy centered around the title ship, Dolores. Will the last volume be a worthy finale to the series?
It’s time to reveal all the cards
It’s time to solve all the plots and reveal all the plot intricacies. Volume 3 of OKP Doloresis the culmination of the entire series. It begins, therefore, atypical, because it is a flashback that shows us the connections between McMonro and the Church of the New Pioneers. Then we return to the Dolores deck. After an epic battle in outer space in the second volume, we will experience another one. This time it will be an unusual boarding performed by Rassets. Dolores cannot come out in one piece from such a clash. Then it gets more interesting, because apart from another gigantic battle, all the threads are clarified. Namely, it is revealed what happened to Mona’s father and why Tork took her to the very end of the universe. Admittedly, these explanations are so absurd and crazy that they bought me on the spot. In their own way, they even connect logically. However, in order not to spoil, I will focus on the antagonists, for in the third volume we have four of them at once. To be honest, there are just too many of them.
Four antagonists versus two protagonists
In fact, there weren’t many new heroes. Only Tuco, who is at the head of the rebels, stands out. He is a representative of a foreign race, resembling a monkey. Most importantly, it is thanks to him that Mony learns the truth about her origin. The main characters have not changed much. Of course, the protagonist is tormented by doubts, and in the end she is even close to losing her faith. Nevertheless, they lack some depth. By the way, it is a pity that representatives of foreign races had such little importance in this series. In addition, all three volumes had only two people to handle such a powerful ship as Dolores. The authors have overestimated the antagonists, because at the end there was a bit of a layer of them, so I have the impression that everyone has been marginalized a bit.
End of adventure
In terms of workmanship or graphics, I have nothing to complain about. The third volume keeps the level of the previous ones. I really like Dider Tarquin’s drawings. Heroes and unusual locations look great, and I can say a lot about battles. My greatest regret is that more space has not been found to highlight the last great battle.
Was it worth embarking on Dolores?
As for the third volume that’s okay, by no means has the level dropped from the previous parts. What I liked the most was how all the threads and characters connect with each other. Crazy, absurd, but also very good ideas make up the entire plot of the Red Crystal .
Now is the time to move on to the most important part, which is the short summary of the whole thing. On the one hand, I regret that this is the end, because in my opinion it could be broken down into four volumes and some elements would be better exposed. Nevertheless, dealing with this comic was pure pleasure. OKP Dolores is an example of a solid science fiction story with a lot of interesting ideas. The authors have positively surprised me more than once. It is not a perfect series that I will remember for a long time, but I spent a nice time with it and I will be happy to come back to it one day. I recommend!
