Judging by sales figures, a lot of you aren't reading The Resistance, and you should be. It's a good science-fiction action book, something the market isn't exactly drowning in. The subject matter, a corrupt autocratic society being resisted by rebels, is not a concept that has never been done before, but it's got interesting characters, amazing action sequences and some gorgeous artwork, and in this issue Gray and Palmiotti add a little bit more horror to the dystopian future that makes up The Resistance. I seem to like each issue more and more, and the vision that these creators bring to a dark future and kickbutt young heroes who will resist it continues to interest me.
Gray and Palmiotti have done a pretty good job of establishing the world of The Resistance as well as several plotlines in the first three issues of the book. The corruption in the world government, the food problems, the notion of illegal births and the renegade culture that gave birth to the resistance movement have all been fleshed out nicely. I found the villain in this issue to be just a little over-the-top evil (skeet shooting old people for fun?), but other than that, I think that the world of The Resistance rings true enough to work.
It doesn't hurt that the visuals that establish the world are so strong. Santacruz, Portela and Mounts paint an incredibly detailed and vivid world where technology is everywhere, but it's not always the cleanest thing in the world. They also capture the human element existing alongside this ultra-tech, not always comfortably, and I'm reminded of work like The Matrix and Blade Runner in their approach. The food factory at the end of the issue or the resistance orphanage are both great examples of effective settings that help to establish the book.
The style of the book overall is one of a rebellious youth culture against an entrenched and corrupt old system. You need only compare the sexy and fashionable outfits of the lead characters to the uniforms of the villains to see who the good guys are, and despite FTP's serious nature, the sense we're given is that the resistance is fighting for freedom, music, sex and all that good stuff, while the GCC is just trying to hold onto the power they gained during the legitimate food shortages. As I said, the division between good and evil sometimes gets a bit too clear-cut, but in general I think Gray and Palmiotti do a good job of showing that the resistance uses questionable and violent tactics, and the inclusion of a GCC operative who has reconsidered makes the argument that members of the establishment aren't necessarily unsalvageable either.
While The Resistance is at its heart a science-fiction action movie, the creators have given it a touch of social conscience and creepy horror genre in this issue, and I find myself appreciating it all the more. Each issue of this book seems to get a little bit better, and while the components of the book might not seem as original in the context of books or movies, this is something fresh and new in comics, and it is well worth a look.
