Resurrection Man #1

Resurrection Man #1

Back in the late eighties/early nineties USA, TNT and a few other cable and syndication channels specialized in badass, episodic arching shows that would feature masculine heroes with strange talents visiting desert towns, trying to keep a low profile while their ethnic sidekick would provide wisdom and guidance. These shows could be picked up at random while also provide enough background movement and season-finale explosions to outline larger plots for the dedicated. Even though I don’t see a sidekick, Resurrection Man would be right at home on the USA Network after wrestling.

Originally a mid nineties comic for DC, Resurrection Man picks up where I assume it left off. Our hero Mitch Shelly wakes up from a stone cold sleep on a gurney, I doubt this will be the last time, and we are informed that every time he dies and resurrects he has a new super power, in this case magnetism. Mitch is funny, witty, clever, smart, tough and very content with his life as a wandering Lazarus, a relatable anti-hero.

The larger plot is hanging heavy as Mitch feels the constant push to move forward, to get some money, to buy a plane ticket, why is he doing all of this? There’s a woman with a strange tattoo on the plane who isn’t who she appears to be. Big action follows along with the revelations of villains and (who I hope are) allies, keeping me hooked by the mouth.

What jumped out and socked me in the nose about this book is just how easily it would be for someone to pick this up and run with it. I immediately thought of Conan the Barbarian, Renegade and La Femme Nikita, those old action shows that were just there at midnight to make your eyes race across the screen before the plot wound down and the credits ran, leaving the main characters in constant states of searching.

As a viewer/reader your right there with him; the enemies are new and (honestly) frightening. Plots of angels and demons are heavy on the page and add a real nice layer to what would otherwise be a simple action book about a guy who can’t stay alive and the McGuffin introduced at the end is a perfect motivating factor for everyone involved.

The art had its ups and downs. It’s a dirty look for sure with muted colors but the line work can range from solid and tight to wild scraggly lines page by page. The action scene in the middle is a tad hard to follow, but that may be because our comic book reading instincts tell us not to believe what is happening on the page. The visual cues were handled perfectly and this will be an important part of the story going forward as our characters are shaped. Definitely some rough patches but by the end it feels totally at home and there are some mammoth beauty nature shots that really bring it home. This is a book with a look that will grow on you for sure.

In the new 52 a book like Resurrection Man is sorely needed. We’re all gonna buy Batman, Action Comics, and Justice League while titles like Hawk and Dove, Omac, and Mr. Terrific will languish somewhere in the middle, based on if you liked whatever peripheral appearances those characters are privy to. Resurrection Man brings a new genre, episodic action television, to the page and really cries to an audience that isn’t being served by mainstream DC or Marvel. The fact that it is in the DCnU makes me curious what other characters he may come across in the future. Resurrection Man is a fantastic break from the capes.

Asses Kicked: 8 out of 10 Cheeks