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‘The Resurrected #4:’ Comic Book Review

The Resurrected is a dark, sci-fi thriller from Carnouche Productions that “delves into dark social-political issues, most significantly those dealing with the colonisation of Australia and the treatment of the local indigenous population” (Kickstarter campaign).  With this near-future story, writer/creator Christian Carnouche seeks to give the Indigenous-Australians voice, because their representation in all forms of media is often suppressed, or when inserted in media, it is to their detriment, such as through minimizing stereotype characterization.  In this successfully crowdfunded comic book series, Carnouche explores themes of mortality, redemption, and personal culpability for one’s actions.  

Now in its fourth issue, the memories shared by two of the characters reveal motivations for their beliefs and their actions.  Duluth continues on his hero’s journey, which includes him identifying, embracing, and having faith in his indigenous heritage.  The characters all seek enlightenment regarding the value of human life: Who makes the determination of that value? Is it from one’s self, corporate interest, or society?  Is immortality worth the cost?  In the closing pages, Carnouche sets up the climatic third act that will be revealed in issue five.  Erica Schultz’s (Bingo Love, RISE: Comics Against Bullying) editing results in concise dialogue and narration throughout the issue.

Artist Crizam Zamora (Vampirella, The Black Sparrow & Lady Zorro) and colorist Salvatore Aiala (Z Nation, James Bond: Felix Leiter) once again bring Carnouche’s story to life visually.  This was a challenging issue visually because of the number of scenes that took place in varied interior and exterior locales.  While the panel layouts worked in conveying the action sequences, to keep the visuals exciting, it probably would have been better to not recycle the two-page layout a second time.  Both instances seemed a bit cluttered. Aiala’s colors had a bit of a workout, too.  Zamora and Aiala excelled with Duluth’s nighttime vision; it’s a pivotal plot point, and the scene has lasting visual resonance.  The lettering by Cardinal Rae (Superman: The Coming of Superman, Rose) is clear and easy to follow.  Additionally, Rae positions many of the speech balloons strategically to emphasize and match up dialogue with the unfolding action.

The Resurrected is an insightful and thought-provoking story.  Carnouche explores important themes without being “preachy” and balances sensitivity of those themes with the need to also deliver an entertaining comic book series.  The inclusion of indigenous Australians adds to the appeal of this sci-fi thriller and results in a unique storyline while giving voice to a too often silenced group of individuals.

Creative Team: Christian Carnouche (writer/creator); Crizam Zamora (artist); Salvatore Aiala (colorist); Cardinal Rae (letterer); Erica Schultz (editor); and Crizam Zamora and Anna-Maria Chernigovshaya (cover artists).
Publisher: Carnouche Productions
Click here to purchase.

Michele Brittany, Fanbase Press Contributor

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