Gold Goblin #3 Review

Written by: Christopher Cantwell
Art by: Lan Medina, Scott Hanna, Wayne Faucher
Colors by: Antonio Fabela, Andrew Crossley, Dee Cunniffe, Pete Pantazis
Letters by: VC’s Joe Sabino
Cover art by: Taurin Clarke
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: January 4, 2023

Gold Goblin #3 finds Norman trying to keep his “Goblin sobriety” together while NYC fights for survival under the Dark Web event. Will another enemy from his past finally push Norman over the edge?

Is It Good?

Gold Goblin #3 may mark a turning point in the series for some readers who’ve opted to give Christopher Cantwell the benefit of the doubt. Why? Because this is the third issue in a row where nothing of substance happens.

Admittedly, I was on board with the concept of portraying Norman Osborn as a recovering addict who struggled to keep away from slipping back into his Green Goblin ways. That’s an idea worth exploring, but an idea is not a story, so after three issues of Norman struggling to cope, it seems that’s all there is to this series – an idea without a story.

In fairness, there are some mild developments in this issue. We learn Norman isn’t good at kids’ birthday parties. We learn Norman’s grandson is not a fan of how he treated Harry. And we learn that Jack O’Lantern is a less-good Green Goblin knockoff in more ways than one. Through it all, Norman constantly tries to keep himself from cracking, weighed down by the guilt of his past sins.

In terms of the Dark Web event, there’s nothing here to tie in this issue. It’s a tie-in in title only, so if you’re looking for a key piece of Dark Web storytelling, look elsewhere. In terms of the plot centering on Norman’s recovery, but for the appearance of Queen Goblin mentioned in this issue but not shown, we’re in the exact same place at the end of issue #3 as we were at the beginning of issue #1.

In other words, the story has gone effectively nowhere.

Credit to Medina, Hanna, and Faucher for giving Norman a constantly pained, anguished look on his face that you can believe. If the selling point of this issue is experiencing a Norman Osborn haunted by his past, the art team succeeds on all fronts.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Bits and Pieces

Gold Goblin #3 continues to explore an intriguing idea about a man struggling with addiction and his past, but an idea is not a story, and Cantwell appears to have no story to tell.