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

Detective Comics #840 – Review

By: Paul Dini (Writer), Dustin Nguyen (Pencils)

Let’s face it, the whole Resurrection of Ra’s Al Ghul storyline that’s been running the past couple of months has been a complete let down. For those of you who missed the storyline, consider yourself blessed. This issue of Detective Comics acts as the Epilogue of the Ra’s Al Ghul resurrection and it makes for one hell of an entertaining read. What’s nice about this book is that it acts not only as a bookend to the aforementioned storyline, but it’s also a good stand-alone issue as well; anyone can pick this up and enjoy it for what it is.

Ra’s Al Ghul confronts Batman and explains his disappointment in him and how he plans to move into Gotham to basically make Batman’s life a living hell. At this point, Bruce seems to have had enough. What follows is what Bruce will do when pushed too far. It’s smart, devious, and even cruel, but in many ways it’s justified. Detective Comics #840 has very strong dialogue and characterizations by Paul Dini. I’m not a regular Batman reader, but I can easily say that this is Dini at the top of his game and an issue not to be missed. Dustin Nguyen provides some shaky storytelling at the beginning of the issue (the action is portrayed a bit off), but finishes very strong. (Grade: A-)

-J. Montes