Bin Fodder: The Resistance

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The future designed by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti in the IDW book, The Resistance is bleak, cruel and inhumane.  The world, for lack of a better term, is in shambles.  Chaos has given in to a draconian government state where the laws governing birth are more intense than modern-day China.

The Resistance - Cover

Imagine a world where unregistered babies are murdered…not given up for adoption or put in foster care…murdered.  That’s The Resistance, which maintains a social commentary while telling a story all the same.  It’s true that the story Gray and Palmiotti put forth isn’t the greatest thing I’ve ever read and it goes off the rails occasionally and may even sink to using sexually charged scenes or comments in a veiled attempt to regain control of a waffling story.  But, that being said, there is virtue in being righteous.

 

What does that mean?

 

It means: if you have something worth saying, say it.  This story is meant to transcend medium and class and upbringing to allow for anyone who can understand the words the opportunity to see the vision they are attempting to imbue upon us.  Society is a slippery slope.  We each have a responsibility to ourselves and our fellow man to be greater than the sum of our parts.  The Resistance forces us to realize that.

 

Throughout the story figures are struggling to survive, struggling to eat and find safe haven.  People are murdered without an ounce of regret.  Why?  Because it’s not “people” doing the killing, they’re machines.

 

The Resistance - Art

The future may be dark but the visuals designed by Juan Santacruz are anything but.  The coloring, shading and overall look and feel of the book is incredibly eye catching.  It would be easy to ignore the story and simply flip from page to page immersed in the art.  Now don’t get me wrong, Santacruz’s style has some shortcomings; the character’s lack consistency in how they appear from one page to the next, different angles can make a character look like someone else on occasion.  The backgrounds tend to get washed out sometimes, but then snap back.  Almost like if the writer didn’t give him direction he just let it go.

When I first picked up this book I struggled with it.  It was a recommendation and I wasn’t digging it.  But I stuck with it, pushed through my initial thoughts and gave it a real chance to grow on me.  In the end I’m glad I did.  Despite some of the awful things that occur in the book it’s a good read and worth the time if you have the opportunity.  I give it a solid B grade.

 

 

If you have suggestions for future Bin Fodder reviews, drop me a line in comments!  Or e-mail me at [email protected].

 

I can be found on Twitter – @tim_thewriter

 

Till next Wednesday…

 

This is your Bin Fodder Guru Tim Blacksmith signing off.

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