RESURRECTION MAN #1
DC COMICS
WRITERS: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
ART; Fernando Dagnino
COLORS: Santi Arcas
LETTERS: Rob Leigh
COVER: Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, and Rod Reis
Resurrection Man is a DC Comics superhero created by Andy Lanning, Dan Abnett and Jackson Guice. The character had a comic book series that ran for 27 issues from 1997 to 1999. Resurrection Man is attorney Mitchell “Mitch” Shelley, who became the unwilling test subject in a nanotechnology experiment. The result rendered him immortal in an unusual way. Mitchell could still be killed, but the death would last only a few seconds or a few minutes. Then, Mitchell would be reborn with a superpower influenced by the way he was last killed.
The character returns in Resurrection Man #1, part of DC Comics’ re-launch of its superhero comics line, “The New 52.” As the story (entitled “Pronounced Dead”) opens, Mitch has just come back to life, tasting everything metal in the morgue. Then, he’s off to Portland, Oregon on a flight where he meets Sue, who is not what she appears to be. Who are the Phantoms of the Afterlife, and why is Mitch’s soul so attractive to every entity from above and from below?
I remember Resurrection Man; I remember ignoring it. Now, the more I read about it the more it sounds like a really interesting concept, so I might go back-issue hunting. Meanwhile, this first issue of the new series is a very nice read. It seems more like a Vertigo title than a mainline DC Comics title, but DC’s superhero line really needs a horror comics side, so this will do.
I’m not familiar with the work of writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, but if first impressions are important, I’m impressed. Of course, artist Fernando Dagnino, whose style does much to make this look like a Vertigo comic book, contributes dark compositions which create the dark fantasy vibe that Resurrection Man #1 does so well.
B+
September 14th
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