Comic Review: Resonant #2

Resonant #2

Vault Comics

Writer: David Andry

Art: Alejandro Aragon

Resonant takes place in a post-apocalyptic world in which swarms of bugs sweep the land and only those who can clear their mind escape their mental bullets. While it’s still not completely clear how these swarms work, the world blends elements of Cormac McCarthy’s classic novel, The Road, with the Netflix flop, Birdbox. The result thus far neither has haunting and immersive as The Road, nor as convoluted as Birdbox.

Story:

A swarm sweeps the land. At home, Bec does everything she can to keep her younger brothers safe. However, in doing so, she takes the brunt of the swarm. Out on a mission to procure medicine, her father finds an unlikely companion, avoids some unsavory characters, and arrives at a trading post that harbors more secrets than identifiable truths. In a post-apocalyptic world, could we expect anything less?

Characters:

There’s a dog. Everybody loves dogs, so introducing a dog-character is a sure and easy way to get readers on board. Yeah, it’s not clever, but it’s totally effective. I found myself stoked about Bec’s dad finding a dog, even if I also felt as though I could see what the author was doing. Tug my heart-strings, Andry! Do it! Sadly, the “save the dog,” trope is a pretty tired one, and in this comic, I don’t know if it was needed. I already know who I’m supposed to root for Bec and her dad. I don’t need him to rescue a dog to prove his empathy and goodness. Back home, Bec and her brothers wonder when their dad will get home and must confront an unwelcome visitor.

Art:

The art is great. It sets the tone in a big way. The color backdrops go a long way to increase tension when appropriate and smoothing emotions when needed. The paneling itself isn’t anything to write home about, but the character concepts near the middle of the issue are bizarre and awesome. Obviously, each page can’t focus on everything, and so what this comic does, it does well on any given page. However, where the art really shines is in the world-building. The wide-angle half splash pages give the world a realism that the first issue didn’t have, contained as it was. But this #2 is a much more comprehensive look at a world that is vast in scope and vision. Where the plot goes from here. . . it could be anywhere.