……The year is 2037 and the world as we know it has changed dramatically. With all the colossal technical advancements of the age, the most significant came from Drexler Nanotech Corporation, who created a serum engineered to resurrect the dead. The ethical implications were widespread and the serum was ultimately banned the world over….
Writer/creator Christian Carnouche’s concluding fifth issue of his dark, sci-fi thriller, The Resurrected (Carnouche Productions), will be out shortly and wraps up the story about Aboriginal-Australian detective Cain Duluth. For those who have been following my reviews and hopefully reading each issue, this series has followed Duluth’s personal journey to come to terms with a tragedy that has haunted him since the apocalyptic disaster that occurred five years earlier, taking the lives of his wife and daughter; however, his story really began much earlier, with his conflicting feelings and identity with his Indigenous roots.
Without giving away plot spoilers, issue five ties up Duluth’s storyline and many of the subplots. As with the prior issues, there are points that Carnouche works into the narrative. For example, one character has sacrificed “the many” for “the one” with deadly results. Duluth must wrestle with the desire to take justice into his own hands versus allowing justice to make things right. It’s a case of two wrongs not making a right. As mentioned above, an overarching theme is the treatment of Indigenous people, which Carnouche ties in well with the message that scientific “advancements” should not equal playing god by tinkering with the natural order of life – birth, life, and death. There were a couple of narrative beats that felt as though their “pay off” could have been emphasized a bit more. For instance, Duluth learns of the catalyst that led his wife to an important discovery, which could have had more impact on his psyche but, instead, felt as though there was little time for him or the reader to digest. It seemed to get lost in the climatic scene. The slips were minor and honestly did not weaken Carnouche’s storytelling nor Erica Schultz’s (Bingo Love, RISE: Comics Against Bullying) editing skills.
Carnouche’s creative team for visuals saw the return of artist Crizam Zamora (Vampirella, The Precinct) and colorist Salvatore Aiala (Z Nation, James Bond: Felix Leiter). Both delivered and complemented each other’s skills in this issue. The textures, angles of panels, color choices, and highlights pulled the visuals together. For instance, the depictions of Pem in the establishing scene showed good use of space (a stark holding room) along with Pem himself. It is engaging and hooks the audience immediately. The flashback scene stands out with both the torn edges of the panels, as well as the light sepia tones, which lends to clearly delineating the scene from the rest of the action in the issue. The blurred technique is incorporated judiciously to emphasize a pivotal action moment, as well one character’s point-of-view. And, although only glimpsed a few times, the cityscape is intriguing, and I wished I could have seen more of it. (The homage to Fritz Lang’s silent 1927 film, Metropolis, is a nice Easter egg!). Letterer Cardinal Rae (Rose, Superman: The Coming of the Supermen) rounds out the team and, as usual, delivered concise and readable text that did not draw attention to itself and as required, blended with the rest of the visuals.
Lastly, a quick mention to Zamora and Anna-Maria Chernigovshaya who have delivered another fine portrait cover. Pem’s depiction captures his character’s intensity, and it was nicely done to have Duluth and Yindi reflected in the blade, the main characters in the issue. Also, the colors foreshadow events in the issue, as well as highlight each character.
As I have mentioned in my previous reviews, this is a well put together and engaging story. The inclusion of and giving voice to Aboriginal-Australian/Indigenous characters sets this narrative apart from other dark sci-fi stories out there. This is well worth the read and should be sought out by fans of the genre and/or are looking for international comic book options.
Creative Team: Christian Carnouche (writer/creator); Crizam Zamora (artist); Salvatore Aiala (colorist); Cardinal Rae (letterer); Erica Schultz (editor); Crizam Zamora and Anna-Maria Chernigovshaya (cover artists)
Publisher: Carnouche Productions
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