The Cryptid Corps #3 — Max Bertolini Brings Dangerous Chaos to the Orb

A traumatic look at Peterson’s past collides with a high-stakes standoff at The Orb in this tense entry of Anthony Cleveland and Max Bertolini’s monster-hunting series. When things spiral out of control, the team faces a devastating shift in power.

There’s a specific kind of tension that comes when you watch a team that usually has the upper hand suddenly realize they’ve walked into a trap. The Cryptid Corps has built its reputation on handling the weird and the dangerous, but in this third issue, the ground beneath their feet feels a lot more unstable than usual.

Writer Anthony Cleveland and artist Max Bertolini do a fantastic job of layering the danger here. The story kicks off with a flash of Peterson’s history that hits harder than a surprise attack, setting an emotional tone that bleeds into the present. Cold shows up at The Orb, and what starts as a tense confrontation quickly unspools into something far more volatile.

Bertolini’s art is doing the heavy lifting on the atmosphere, capturing that moment when a situation spirals past the point of no return. The team is pushed right to the brink, and the fallout is immediate and heavy. You can feel the weight of a devastating power shift happening in real time, leaving the Corps reeling and uncertain of their next move.

This issue is a perfect example of why the series has been grabbing attention. It’s not just about monsters or magic; it’s about how those extraordinary circumstances fracture the people trying to keep them at bay. The future of EDDI hangs in the balance, and the stakes feel genuinely personal rather than just procedural.

I’m watching this one closely. The way Cleveland and Bertolini balance the supernatural threat with the very human fallout is exactly the kind of nuanced storytelling that sticks with you. It’s a great time to jump in and see where the Corps stands after this shake-up.