Resurrection #4 – Review

By Marc Guggenheim (writer) & David Dumeer (artist)

Universal Studios recently optioned this comic to become a movie. 9 out of 10 times, that means, nothing, but I can imagine the story being on the big screen. The thing is, there’s probably going to be lots of changes to the story to make it more interesting, because the comic isn’t doing anything for me. If they just keep the premise, I’ll be a happy camper – that’s the book’s selling point. It fails in execution and I could care less if the studio got rid of everything else.

The storytelling in this issue doesn’t work for me. The three story lines are lost in 22 pages and we get little progression in all the plot threads save one. This series might work in the long run as a trade, but individually, the issues aren’t worth the time. I don’t care for the characters, and when one of them bites the dust I remain unphased. It’s like a poor man’s Walking Dead, really.

With the current story the president is still trying to reassure everyone who’s the boss, making sure they get his point. Meanwhile, the alien bug is still on the loose with the doctor doing everything to cover its tracks. Back in the spaceship, Simon (Tulley’s bodyguard) gets a revelation from the bugs and we’re given a confrontation. Yep, that’s it. Basically if you missed issue #3, you haven’t missed anything at all. Nothing’s happening and it’s frustrating.

Unfortunately for Resurrection, there are other books that I want to read and I can’t wait anymore for it to pick up the pace. Even though there are two more issues remaining to complete the story arc, I  just don’t  care. Maybe I’ll check out the trade when its released, but for now, this title’s lost a reader. (Grade: D)

-Daniel Yanez

Resurrection #3 – Review

By Marc Guggenheim (writer) & David Dumeer (art)

Unfortunately, there is really nothing important happening in this issue. The story is advancing, but in baby steps. Personally, I feel this is a bad decision if you’re on your third issue and struggling to get new readers.

The story touches upon everyone we met over the last two issues. The bug that’s a prisoner of Judith McCreary escapes. Sara and Benjamin try to help the guy who got caught inside the alien spacecraft. They try to turn the power supply off, but the craft’s defense system mysteriously continues to operate. On the government side, there is an unsuccessful assassination attempt on the president by the military. And that’s it – nothing else is revealed about the bugs. This book is already hovering on mediocrity and this issue really needed a payoff.

Marc Guggenheim needs to stop driving on the slow lane. I’ll give this series the remaining two issues to pick things up. After that, I’m going to drop it if nothing improves. It’s got a great premise, it just needs better execution. If you still haven’t read issue #1, you can find it here. Hopefully, next issue will be better than this. (Grade: D+)

-Daniel Yanez

Resurrection #1-2 – Review

By: Marc Guggenheim (writer) & David Dumeer (art)

Alien invade Earth – and win. After 10 years of domination they leave for unknown reasons. As you can imagine, they did horrible things to humans like experiments. Resurrection is about “what happens next”, with some flashbacks showing how it all started as well.

The first page gave the impression that I was reading The Walking Dead, with Rick still in the pen, all black & white. It also deals with a post-apocalypse world, but the similarities end there.

After finding out that the aliens are gone, Sara is going to see her son at the town of King. On the way there she meets with Ben who wants to go to Washington DC to investigate what happened with the bugs. Meanwhile, a woman (probably military) has had one of these alien bugs held prisoner for 23 years. The bug speaks English and is fairly intelligent. One only wonders if this lady has something to do with the invasion, as the bug (named Spock) asks her to kill it to clear her conscience. There is also a subplot about the President hidden in a mountain bunker, and his inhumane decisions regarding several refugees.

The black & white art is perfect for the book. Like Walking Dead, it effortlessly sets the tone. There are times that the character’s faces look different, almost as if they resemble another person. I noticed this inconsistency a lot with Sara’s profile. It’s a small problem, but it doesn’t hurt the book.

Check the first issue of Resurrection here. I’ll be reading a few more issues to see where it all goes. (Grade: B-)

-Daniel Yanez

A Second Opinion

Marc Guggenheim is a fan of the TV series, V, and it shows. It’s quite easy to make comparisons against the two, but this book seems to stand on its own. Others have also said this series is just “Walking Dead with aliens”. I can see why people say that, but from what I’ve gathered, this book reminds me of the early issues of Y: The Last Man more than anything. It’s got that whole post-apocalyptic “road trip” feel and it hosts a cast of supporting characters (including the President) scattered about the country – each with their own agenda.

Issues #1-2 do a good job setting things up and I’m definitely intrigued to see where Guggenheim takes this series. My only qualm with the book is David Dumeer’s art. It’s messy, uneven, and distracting. Emotional expression is something he really needs to work on. There are times where characters look downright evil, even though they’re trying to convey a simple smile. And then there’s the long shots and establishing shots that just look plain sloppy.

At $3.50 an issue, Resurrection is a bit pricey. I suggest trying a couple of issues to see if it’s to your liking. Me? I’ll stick around a bit longer. (Grade: C+)

– J. Montes

The Walking Dead #46 – Review

By Robert Kirkman (writer), Charlie Adlard (art), Cliff Rathburn (colors)

It’s time again for The Walking Dead! How long has it been since last issue? It seems like two or three months ago!

The first third of this issue involve some quiet time in the prison. We see Rick preparing his son for the worst case scenario, unlikely strangers taking comfort amongst themselves, and small moments of family bonding. And then everything goes to hell. The cover of this issue doesn’t lie or mislead. What happens in the mid-section of this book is real and incredibly brutal. The Governor is a bastard, we know that, and he prepares his second round assault on the prison. But then we get one hell of a surprise.

Reading this issue reminds me why I prefer reading the trades. One can literally finish an issue in 5 minutes. And then what? You’ve got to wait a month (or much longer) for the next issue. It sucks, but waiting 4 months for a trade is worse – and that’s the only reason why I pick up the issues.

Robert Kirkman once again hooks us from page one and doesn’t let go. This series is consistently good and Kirkman has made well on his promises that no character is safe. Riveting. (Grade A-)

– J. Montes

A Second Opinion

I started reading the series a week ago based on Jay’s recommendation (I stole all his books) and now it sucks because I’ll have to wait a month in between issues. I didn’t pick this series up before because I thought it was “just another zombie story”. This series is extremely well done, with characters you grow to love and hate. Kirkman doesn’t want us to feel safe; any of the character is at risk.

This mantra is confirmed again with this issue. The Governor doesn’t have enough strength to hit with one hand, so he strikes several times, making for one hell of a brutal assassination. I do wonder why the survivors didn’t shoot at the governor while doing his deed (and out in the open). At least they could have saved one of them, (if Michone was captured as the Governor said). I saw the covers for future issues and it doesn’t look good for Rick and company. (Grade: B+)

-Daniel Yanez