W0RLDTR33 (WorldTree) Volume 3

W0rldtr33 #12-16

by James Tynion IV, Fernando Blanco (illustrator), Jordie Bellaire (illustrator)

Before she was the Undernet’s remorseless assassin, PH34R was a little girl named Sammi, who just wanted to know what her big brother and his hacker friends were doing online all day…

Fifty years later, the planet is barely hospitable. The Undernet has won. Ellison Lane believes he finally has all the pieces to give humanity another shot at a future. But a terrible angel stands in his way—an angel with tattoos all over her body, and a decades-long grudge against the w0rldtr33 gang.

Multiple Eisner award-winner JAMES TYNION IV (The Department of Truth, Something is Killing the Children) and acclaimed artist FERNANDO BLANCO (Detective Comics) finally reveal the long-awaited story behind W0RLDTR33’s iconic killer.

Collects issues #12-16

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction, Dystopia

152 pages, Paperback

Published October 28, 2025

About the author

Prior to his first professional work, Tynion was a student of Scott Snyder's at Sarah Lawrence College. A few years later, he worked as for Vertigo as Fables editor Shelly Bond's intern. In late 2011, with DC deciding to give Batman (written by Snyder) a back up feature, Tynion was brought in by request of Snyder to script the back ups he had plotted. Tynion would later do the same with the Batman Annual #1, which was also co-plotted by Snyder. Beginning in September 2012, with DC's 0 issue month for the New 52, Tynion will be writing Talon, with art by Guillem March. In early 2013 it was announced that he'd take over writing duties for Red Hood and the Outlaws in April.

Tynion is also currently one of the writers in a rotating team in the weekly Batman Eternal series.

Reviews

[Oscar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sammi finds her version of heaven. Really good series!

[Scott Rhee · Rating 5 out of 5]

The end of the world happens because some asshole big brother doesn't want his nosy little sister butting into his business; according to James Tynion IV's "WoRLDTR33", Volume 3. Thanks to Gabriel, little Sammi grows up to be an Internet alien/demon-possessed bitch that ushers in apocalypse. So, thanks, Gabriel.

Seriously, kids, think about that next time you wanna pick on your younger siblings...

Great series. Reaching its exciting denouement...

[MrGlassWontBreak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back in 1999, Ph34r/Sammi Winter was a very lonely child whose parents were never around, and who never had any friends growing up. Her only companions were her older brother and his friends, who were too busy figuring out the Undernet to keep her company, and for her protection, wanted her to have nothing to do with it. This obviously led to her accessing the Undernet for far too long, with her insecurities making her very susceptible to its manipulations. After this, she killed her first victim and was sent to a psychiatric hospital for 10 years, at the tender age of 14.

We see a dystopian future in 2049, where the Undernet has taken over the world/internet, now has hundreds of cyborg Goons who look like Ph34r running around killing and converting people, and has killed all original members of the W0rldtr33 gang. Ellison is alive and still trying to enact Gabriel’s plan to stop the Undernet, which leads him to Yoshi (original W0rldtr33 member), who is surprisingly still alive and leading a secret underground community of about 200 surviving humans. They both go through videos of Sammi’s psychiatric sessions, where they find out that Gregory Bell visited her.

Ellison and Yoshi try to piece together how exactly Sammi became Ph34r, as Gabriel’s plans instructed, but their base is found and attacked by Ph34r’s goons, which leads to them blowing it up and escaping. Ph34r checks out the destroyed base, and we see a message just sent by Ellison on the original W0rldtr33 website, and Gabriel Winter receiving the message way back in 1999. This volume was freaking awesome, so many pop culture references, some surprisingly dope ass drawings and spreads, and a 5-star story to top it all off. Sammie’s story was done so well, it’s got me sympathizing with a deranged homicidal maniac; she’s also a hot woman who walks around naked, so I guess that also helps.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Tynion IV and Fernando Blanco seriously bring the goods again with W0RLDTR33 Volume 3. This arc is more of a flashback that's all about the origin story, we get a ton of background on the little sister who ultimately becomes PH34R.

It’s exactly the dark, twisted, sick shit you’ve come to expect from this series, and it does a heavy lift to fill in the gaps and help us understand why these characters are doing what they’re doing now. The payoff is huge, even if the main plot doesn't move forward TOO much outside of the few current-day scenes; mostly, it's about building up this key character.

The core of the volume is Sammi’s initial curiosity turning into the monstrous, violently tattooed assassin PH34R. We’re shown the specific, brutal, and often bodyhorror events of her corruption through the Undernet. This backstory makes it undeniable. PH34R is the physical consequence of the original w0rldtr33 group’s negligence, a mistake brought horribly to life. While we're deep in the past, Ellison Lane and the remaining crew are still scrambling in the present, struggling against the harsh reality from the future...the Undernet has already won.

Despite the heavy character focus, the volume delivers a fantastic chaotic climax where the past history threads finally smash into the present. The action forces Ellison and his allies into an impossible situation, raising the stakes to their absolute limit. And that ending? It leaves you genuinely wondering where we’re going next, setting the stage for the rumored world-ending showdown in San Francisco. It’s confusing, chaotic, yet always captivating, which is why I'm pushing this essential, character building read to a 4 out of 5.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a bit of a hard time following a lot of this, and it didn’t have the same appeal as the previous two volumes.

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Jake Kilroy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do think there's something endearing about pop culture enduring well beyond the end of the world—especially an apocalypse brought on by, say, an alien horror dimension—but it does immediately make the realm you buy into as a reader or viewer a bit goofy. I am wholly on board for what's playing out here, that something called the Undernet could be so grotesque and wretched—as the unspeakable netherworld below even the Dark Web, as an entirely different world that is essentially promised land beyond its gruesome means—that it could infect our world into obliteration. But Family Guy, South Park, and Rick & Morty heralding a signal of beauty and perseverance knocks me around a little. I get the idea that the gorgeous idea is that goofy teens could still be goofy teens in the ruins of humanity, but it just slowed me down a bit, which likely counts for more than it should in what has otherwise been an insane page-turner. Hard to not want to know everything about Sammi/PH34R as a portal connecting worlds; getting harder to see them as entirely evil for the sake of being murderous. Gotta know if the monsters have salvation on the other side. Good bit. Swell play.

[Billy ⋆｡･☽･⋆* (semi-hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

W-wait, wait a minute... whaaat? Is this the end of the series?? Oh no! I wanted more, so much more. I mean the plot is pretty much complete-ish, but it's still all very open, there are still a lot of questions that need answering.
Honestly... my bad, I was the one who didnt check for how many volumes it had before I devoured it... and I wanted something to last. Dang it, I was really invested.
(*note to self: find more JTIV's comics so I have an array of queer horror content to obsess over - and "The Deviant" is already reserved for holiday buddyreading)

[Craig Schorling · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of back story on Sammi that adds to the understanding of what is going on in this mind trip of a book. Tynion has entered BKV territory for me now where I will read anything he is working on. This feels very topical and relevant to what is going on in the world today. There are still a lot of things that are unknown and questions that need to be answered but this is one book that I am enjoying its approach in slowly peeling back the layers. Time to wait for volume 4.

[Andres Pasten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Orwell estaría feliz leyendo esto...

[Mee Too · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think i lost the thread on this one. Its just not interesting enough for me to care. Its a bizarre violent story which presents some curiosities, but take to long to answer them.

2.9🌟

[Jirka Navrátil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Všude cecky, všude samé cecky.....

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume provides some much needed backstory on this series antagonist, but the plot I've kind of lost the thread. Like, I'm unsure of the end goal or how it's even feasible, but perhaps this series just needs to be read back to back.

So I might wait until the entire series is done and then reread start to finish and that might be a more satisfying experience.

I will say that this volume has a pretty poignant take on media/art/games surviving the apocalypse and providing hope for future generations that I really enjoyed.

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hello Ellison. My name is Gabriel Winter.

My sincere hope is that you never watch this video. You are a contingency that I truly hope isn't necessary.

I'm currently on a flight to Western Pennsylvania. This morning, your brother killed a few dozen people while under the influence of a malevolent force that lives beneath the internet. If I fail there my friends will be given the means to stop that force from taking hold over reality but if they fail… then you are watching this on the other side of the apocalypse.

And I am sorry deeply, deeply sorry.

I am quickly becoming a serious fan of James Tynion IV whose work never disappoints, whether it be Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 1, The Nice House on the Lake: the Deluxe Edition, or Nightmare Country, Vol. 1.

Due to this, I thought it would be rude not to check out this new original series. Once again it is horror but this time it involves a dystopian view of the current world and the internet which we are all so reliant on. Imagine there is not only the normal web and the dark web, which we know of, but also an 'underweb' which is home to dangerous forces which want to wipe out humanity.

The only thing preventing the spread of the 'underweb' is a group of friends who thwarted it once before, in their late teens.

In this volume the story is mainly set in the post-apocalyptic future with flashbacks to the 1990s. We learn move about the Underweb and the impact it had on Gabriel's sister, Sammi, about Ellison's mission to save humanity, and about the monsters which have been set loose on mankind.

I must warn that there is graphic violence, nudity, and a darkness that I have not seen from Tynion before. I must also say, I absolutely love it. I just hope I don't have to wait too long for volume 4. 5 stars again.

[Alex Sarll]

Flashbacks finally explain, up to a point, the story behind the series' sexy naked assassin, while in the future we see how humanity has been coping since the internet went down. Not well, is the short answer, though I loved the portrayal of the kids raised on surviving fragments, and memes as oral culture. Still, as bad as things are, if there's one thing w0rldtr33 and indeed the world should have taught us, it's that they can always get worse.

[Tay Gibs · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.45/5

Slightly choppy but gives the background missing from vol 1 & 2.

[Yoshiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

POPKULTUROWY KOCIOŁEK: Trzeci tom W0rldtr33 to moment, w którym seria Jamesa Tyniona IV przestaje tylko straszyć nas perspektywą mrocznej siły, skrywającej się w Internecie. W końcu dowiadujemy się jak to wszystko się zaczęło, zagłębiając się w przeszłość bohaterów komiksu. Jeśli po dwóch pierwszych tomach ktoś jeszcze łudził się, że to „tylko” efektowny horror o mrocznej stronie sieci, to tutaj zostanie brutalnie wyprowadzony z błędu.

W trzecim tomie Tynion wyraźnie zmienia akcenty. W0rldtr33 nie jest już jedynie tajemniczym, przerażającym bytem czającym się „po drugiej stronie”. Teraz staje się aktywną „infekcją”, która przenika rzeczywistość, relacje międzyludzkie i psychikę bohaterów. Jakże aktualna tematyka, kolejny raz uderza w nas, sugerując, że w jednej chwili wszystko może wymknąć się spod kontroli. Nawet jeśli dotyczy to nieustannego stukania w klawiaturę.

Autor kolejny raz stawia na rozwój postaci. Tym razem w centrum uwagi znajduje się Sammi, ciekawska nastolatka, która po prostu chce czuć się uwzględniona przez brata i jego kolegów. To prowadzi ją jednak w niewłaściwym kierunku, wyjaśniając istotny wątek komiksu. Dowiadujemy się jak narodziła się wspomniana „infekcja”, która przeniknęła do realnego świata. Trauma, poczucie winy i strach przestają być tłem — stają się głównym paliwem fabuły. Każda decyzja ma swój ciężar.

Tynion świetnie pokazuje, że w świecie W0rldtr33 heroizm jest krótkotrwały, a kompromisy zostawiają trwałe blizny. Dialogi bywają oszczędne, spojrzenia znaczące, a cisza głośniejsza niż krzyk. Komiks, który nie spieszy się, bo wie, że największy strach rodzi się w momencie, gdy czytelnik zaczyna rozumieć, dlaczego bohaterowie robią to, co robią.

Rysunki Fernando Blanco i kolory Jordiego Bellair robią świetne wrażenie. W trzecim tomie widać jeszcze większą pewność w operowaniu obrazem. Niektóre kadry są wręcz klaustrofobiczne. Pełno w nich zakłóceń, deformacji i wizualnych „błędów”. Kolorystyka potrafi w jednej chwili przejść od pozornej normalności do cyfrowego piekła, co idealnie współgra z tematyką przenikania się światów. Ilustracje sprawiają wrażenie agresywnych. Mamy poczucie, że wirus wyleje się z kart komiksu do naszego świata. Przez to jeszcze bardziej zanurzamy się w opowiadanej tutaj historii. Następuje pełna immersja...

https://popkulturowykociolek.pl/w0rld...

[Clint · Rating 2 out of 5]

The backstory on teenage Sammi breaking bad has some promise, but as ever for this series, Tynion refuses to offer any sort of encapsulated subplot, so there’s only hints and gestures at some future payoff. Blanco and the rest of the art team at least make most of the future cyber horror stuff look interesting and dynamic, but it’s veneer over a story that’s increasingly goofy as hell in a bad/self-serious way. The world has been reduced to wonky apocalyptic ruins ruled by the naked tattooed cover lady and her copycat followers, and the only thing that can save it all is for a couple of old guys and their gaggle of sheltered teens (who love quoting Family Guy bc teens famously love repeating the memes of older generations?) to make a true crime podcast about how the apocalypse happened. Looks like this is getting at least a volume 4, but this might be the end for me.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very complex and at times a bit hard to follow, this volume fills in some of the backstory on Sammi, aka PH34R, the naked assassin and avatar of the secret world that exists under the Internet that has been the breakout star of this series so far. Plus, there's a flashforward to the year 2049, when the Undernet has won and the world is largely in ruins, except for small pockets of humanity hiding underground and sharing Family Guy reruns with the new youth who've grown up in the ruins. This continues to be one of Tynion's best series and even though I'm not 100% sure what's going on all the time, I'll be there for the next volume, though this kind of ends on a downbeat note. Artwork is strong throughout.

[Ángel Javier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cómo me fastidia que me gusten los tebeos del Tynion. Y es que... este tío es un bluf. ¡De verdad! Que cuando termine de una vez alguna de sus millones de series nos vamos a dar cuenta de que todo era un vacío perfecto que no conducía a ninguna parte. Pero, joder, qué bien lo disimula. En este volumen, se nos van seis cómics en explicarnos el origen de la psicópata despelotada, y... mierda, es interesante. Leeeentooo, pero interesante y bien hecho. Y, claro, muy bien dibujado. Pero, recordad lo que os digo, todo este hype quedará en nada. El final va a ser una mierda, o la historia quedará a medias, o algo de eso. 40 años leyendo tebeos me han proporcionado este instinto.

Acordaos de mí cuando os caguéis en Tynion en unos años, solo os pido eso...

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I was worried as I started this volume. Things flash forward 25 years or so, and we're suddenly faced with a world destroyed by the Undernet as survivors attempt to piece things back together again, while we also flashback to the past to see how Gabriel's sister ended up becoming PH34r in the first place.

I thought we were going to get two entirely unrelated stories, or worse, that the flashforwards would show that there was no hope in the present day story (which we don't get to see at all in these five issues), but then there's a final page reveal that flips everything on its head.

I have NO idea where we're going anymore, but I'm absolutely here for it.

[Travis Duke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid backstory for Sammi, I liked it a lot. I also enjoyed the future Yoshi story that was equally entertaining. The mix of flashbacks and flashforwards was a good pace for this book and I am excited to see what is next. The two kids and the nostalgia were peppered in nicely for a bit of humor. Ellison is working with Yoshi to tell the story that Gabe ignored, the missing piece to it all. What could it be?

[Guillermo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Puf, menuda bajona respecto a lo dos volúmenes anteriores. El futuro postapocalíptico, lo que en esas páginas se pretende trasladar... qué poco interesante. y la historia de Sammi... pues nada de valor. y el arte ha bajado enteros, con un uso del color espantoso. Alargada y con mal pronóstico, esta serie.

[Daniël · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good volume. Still great art and coloring, but the story is harder to follow. But, it’s not as engaging as the previous 2 volumes, and not as good. Here’s hoping that volume 4 will be as good as v01 and 02

[Eric Edwards · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of imagery we have seen before with not a lot of new story. I still find the characters fairly uninteresting in this series. I’ll give it one more volume though I’m tempted to quit after this one.

[Paul Emms · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still a decent read, but I also can't stand pages without any dialogue, with nothing overly moving forward

[Benjamin Cuthrell · Rating 2 out of 5]

My belief that things don’t need to have endings remains strong.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this escalation of the story that was part flashback and part flashforward.

[Jota Houses · Rating 2 out of 5]

Situado en un futuro postapocalíptico, es mas corto y más flojito que los dos anteriores.

[Rob De Santis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Big drop off.