REVIEW: Resistance #6

Writer: J. MIchael Straczynski

Artist: Mike Deodato

Colors: Lee Loughridge

Letters: Sal Cipriano

Cover: Rahzzah 

Publisher: AWA Studios/Upshot Studios

There are those who say that nothing can be learned from reading comic books. I beg to differ. In the first issue of Ice Cream Man we learned about the Brazilian wandering spider. Did you know what it’s considered the most venomous spider in the world?

In Resistance #6 we get to learn about Pyrrhic victory. A Pyrrhic victory is when you win the battle but the cost is so staggering that it may as well have been a defeat. In the book it’s described as setting your home on fire to kill a mouse.

Scientists have isolated a single cell of the virus that threatened to wipe out most of humanity. They are hoping to discover a cure and vaccine with their research. To prevent mass panic their research has been kept top secret with no duplicate copies of their data anywhere. That’s all well and good until some intelligence operatives kill the only scientists involved in the project and steal the results of their research.

In Virginia, we see what really stopped the virus from spreading and the sacrifice that was made to halt the spread. We also see the thin thread that is keeping the virus in check.

On the political scale, things are coming to a head between the Resistance and the rest of the world. After the events in issue #5 the world is afraid of the threat the individuals with powers represent. Everyone with powers just wants to be left alone.

With neither side willing to back down things continue to escalate to the point where we see a Pyrrhic victory for one side.

Art:

1 Star

When I first saw Rahzzah’s cover for this issue of Resistance I was a tad disappointed. Not with the artwork, mind you. It just didn’t jump out and grab me like the others in this series.

After reading the issue I appreciated just how powerful it really was.

The duo of Mr. Deodato and Mr. Loughridge did a phenomenal job with the interior artwork for the entire series. The interior of the aircraft on the splash page was especially striking to me.

Story:

.75 Stars 

I have always believed writing a conclusion to a story is one of the most difficult things to do as a writer. Where do you cut it off with a fitting ending? 

We’ve seen movies where we have a climax and had 45 minutes of falling action while waiting for the conclusion. There have also seen movies where there’s little to no falling action between the climax and conclusion. Resistance definitely falls into the latter category. I would have liked a little more resolution with some of the conflicts we saw during the series.

Dialogue:

1 Star 

There are some stories where the action speaks louder than words. Resistance isn’t one of them. Thankfully we get plenty of good dialogue to help fill in the blanks.

Editing:

1 Star 

The dialogue in Resistance #6 was good but it only went so far. The way the editing was done to have a narrative in some panels was vital to this book’s ability to tell a story well. 

Mechanics:

.5 Stars 

Resistance #6 has a steady pace through most of the issue. There are a couple surprise moments that come at the reader so quickly there isn’t much of a chance to build up the intensity.

I was sorry to see this series end. Whenever the TPB becomes available I will be getting that so I can binge read it whenever I want.