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| INVISIBLE REPUBLIC No. 1, February 2015 |
Described by
“Image Comics” as “a gritty sci-fi series” Issue One of “Invisible Republic”
certainly delivers its co-creators’ vision of the story being both the start of
an “epic history” as well as an “intimate scale” tale. For having initially
depicted the misery and squalor of a presumably planet-wide evacuation,
following the fall of “the Malory Regime”, this book exclusively concentrates
on the trials and tribulations of just three individual seemingly low-key
characters; two of which lived forty years in the past.
In order to accomplish
such an achievement co-writers Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko have clearly
learnt from the science-fiction motion picture masters Ridley Scott and George
Lucas. In fact, there is a lot of commonality between this title’s opening
edition and the feel of both directors’ films. Certainly the squalor, the
dirtiness and necessity to seek basic warmth from a bin fire smacks of the
seedy, darkly decadent world of “Blade Runner”. Whilst this comic’s oppressive
view of the ruling state through the eyes of an innocent young girl, and its
depiction as an arrogant authority, simply in charge through sheer force of
arms, is classic “Star Wars” storytelling… Even down to the naïve farm girl
being protected by her bearded elder; a man who will willingly and
unreservedly kill in order to protect that which he holds dear.
Most impressive
however is Hardman’s skill as a narrator using just his artwork in order to
tell the tale of the legendary Arthur McBride, as opposed to any heavy-handed
over-reliance upon the printed word to explain to the reader what is happening.
This really is one of the strengths of the former “Hulk” illustrator,
especially by the time Maia Reveron’s journal begins telling the tale of when
she and McBride were almost press-ganged into Commonwealth “soldiering.”
For
three pages barely a word is said as the youngster goes spear-hunting for bony
fish and Hardman’s pencils and panel breakdowns wonderfully portray the girl’s obvious
delight with her catch. Admittedly this peaceful reverie is momentarily broken
by the arrival of a ‘recruitment’ sergeant and two sour-faced squaddies. But
when their peril becomes clear, and the pair ultimately fight for their lives,
barely a word is ushered for a further nine pages until McBride, believing the
three soldiers to be dead, calmly turns to his cousin and asks her to “help me
feed those fish."
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| Writers: Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko, and Artist: Gabriel Hardman |
