Steed and Mrs. Peel We’re Needed #3 (of 3) finishes the Silver Sands arc with its trademark light touch and just a bit of a twist at the end. Steed continues to fight being brainwashed by including ridiculous elements in the simulated world while Mrs. Peel gets some unexpected help at the retirement home. Naturally, there is a fight at the end and both operatives get to use their martial arts skills; Mrs. Peel even has her jumpsuit on hand for the occasion.
Edington tells an enjoyable spy story that pushes things just over the edge of the ridiculous. He keeps the Avengers firmly in their Cold War time period, with Russian spies, strange gadgetry, and all the paranoia of the time, plus The Avengers playfulness. There is never any question of whether Steed and Mrs. Peel will succeed; it’s all in “how,” and “how” in this case involves the judicious use of disguise, sowing “chaos and confusion,” and calling in some unorthodox allies. The story makes good use of the retirement home setting and all of its inhabitants.
Cosentino continues to provide the needed sense of atmosphere, including some odd proportions for Steed’s dream world. Steed’s run-in with Punch and Judy in a train is suitably oddball. The backgrounds here remain more suggested than shown, except for the Psychotron, which needs and gets more attention.
This is the third book out of three, so all the background work has been laid already. That said, a sharp reader should be able to pick up enough clues to enjoy this on its own. Steed and Mrs. Peel: We’re Needed is recommended for those who enjoy spy tales and light-hearted parodies of the same.
Steed and Mrs. Peel: We’re Needed #3 is available today, September 24, 2014 from BOOM! Studios.
Writer: Ian Edington
Artist: Marco Cosentino
Colors: Vladimir Popov
Letters: Ed Dukeshire
Cover: Miss Led