Royals #3 — Derek Kirk Kim and Jacob Perez Pull Off a Mind-Bending Heist in Seoul
Paul and Castor are trapped in a high-stakes psychological game. To survive the wrath of Seoul’s most dangerous mob, they must weaponize their telepathy in the most dangerous heist yet. Derek Kirk Kim and Jacob Perez deliver a crime caper that bends reality.
There is a specific kind of tension that comes from knowing your greatest strength is also your most dangerous liability. In Royals #3, that tension is dialed to eleven. Derek Kirk Kim and Jacob Perez don’t just give us a heist story; they give us a heist that happens entirely inside the minds of the protagonists, making every stolen secret a potential betrayal of the soul.
The setup is deceptively simple but emotionally complex. Paul and Castor are on the hook for a debt they can’t pay, and the creditors are The Bloody Cocks, a mob organization in Seoul that operates with terrifying precision. To get out from under their thumb, the twins have to pull off a daring theft. The catch? The target isn’t a vault or a bank. It’s their own church, and the man they must deceive is Father Park.
What makes this issue sing is the execution. Kim writes these two with a depth that makes their telepathic connection feel less like a superpower and more like a shared burden. You feel the weight of every thought they have to keep hidden, even from each other. Perez’s art captures the neon-drenched shadows of Seoul, grounding the mind-bending stakes in a gritty, tangible reality. It’s a visual language that speaks as loudly as the dialogue.
This is the issue where the premise truly earns its keep. You aren’t just watching a crime happen; you’re experiencing the cognitive dissonance of trusting your partner while simultaneously planning to deceive a mentor. It’s a tightrope walk that Kim balances with grace, and Perez renders with a style that feels both modern and timeless. If you’ve been riding this run, this is the emotional peak you’ve been waiting for.
I’m keeping an eye on how the creative team handles the aftermath of this particular choice. The variant cover by Perez hints at a duality that’s central to the book’s theme, and I suspect it’s more than just aesthetic. Grab the main issue if you want the full psychological ride, but the variant is a beautiful artifact for the collection shelf.