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Posted March 6, 2014 by Alvin Minon in Comics
 
 

COMIC BOOK REVIEW: How Evil Empire #1’s evilly good

Dystopian futures where people live from scratch and some evil overlord’s ruling is pretty common. We got cyborg sword-wielding masters, even super AIs that turn against humans, or shape-shifting wizards that conquer the future to ruin timelines. Setting aside the pessimism or even how easy it is to imagine a vile world, these plots do seem cool most especially if you add that dash of spaceships, robots, superpowered beings or whatever fantastic idea you could think of. However, Boom! StudiosEvil Empire gives us a dystopian future that’s grounded on reality. But instead of being boring without booms and pows, the first of a 16-issue maxi-series gives a terrifying look at reality that would make readers want to dig deeper.

The book starts off with a twenty-five year flash forward, where the streets seem to be clean except for the thugs that loiter around and victimize folks they set their sights on such as the wheelchair bound veteran who does the opening narration. After listing down numerous apocalyptic scenarios and pop culture plots for a doomed future, the veteran proves that the very same world he lives in isn’t very far off. It’s at this point that some mean looking armed enforcers pop up, with their faces covered by masks and neat uniforms sporting red insignias. Perhaps what sets Evil Empire’s dystopian future apart from others that feature sinister empires is that it has the familiar look, not so far from the real-world setting we see today, and the premise that our society as it is today could easily evolve into a totalitarian mess that none of us would want to see. Even the wheelchaired narrator says so himself: it wouldn’t take much to turn the status quo into the jacked-up world that we see in pop culture. And who’s responsible? Us.

Now we jump back to the present where were introduced to the real center of the story, celebrity rapper Reese Greenwood. She’s a badass icon who’s very vocal about what’s happening to the state, the devolution and corruption and all the political shiznits. Imagine a rockstar who loads every hit with advocacy messages and propaganda, and also one that flips the finger on politicians while on tv, yeah that could be her. She’s anti-Republican and her song “Knife in the Neck” seems to have underlying messages, too, so it isn’t suprising when she gets a visit from Democratic candidate Sam Duggins who tries to excuse himself as a big fan instead of a negotiating politician. Then soon we find out that the wife of Duggin’s opponent Kenneth Laramy has been killed, with a knife in the neck. Convenient coincidence.

Max Bemis is back at Boom! Studios after his bipolar disorder and inner demons story in Polarity. I think it helps that our author himself’s a member of a band, Say Anything, since I think we’ll be seeing most of the things that would unravel in Evil Empire through Reese’s eyes. Plus, there’s the glaring hint of rebellious punk rock in the story. I’m not sure how well he’ll be able to depict the intricacies of politics here, like the hustle and bustles of campaigning and all that propaganda. I can’t be sure how extensive Bemis’ knowledge of politicians is but I could definitely say so far so good for Evil Empire. He has his way of words and there are more than one point in this comic which made me think if it’s the character talking or Bemis expressing his own disposition regarding the society. Thought provoking, but not at all preachy.

This issue caught my interest without the sword-fighting, laser dodging and all the action typical of dystopian future plots. Aside from the thugs ganging up on a handicapped man in the opening pages, there’s no action or any sort of violence here which might turn off some readers. In Evil Empire, the kick relies heavily on the narration and perspective. What sets this book apart is not only the premise but also the way Bemis does his story telling: he starts off with the future then jumps back and gives us some sort of count down. Unlike most stories where we’re presented the ruling organization that the heroes need to beat, here we have a future with a totalitarian governement and we have to see how the pieces would fit. There’s no room for hoping we could get a brighter future, or that our heroes would do some action and change the timeline. All that’s left is see how events would unfold and what would happen to the lead characters towards that future. The twist at the end of the issue had no lead and caught me unawares, but I guess perhaps this issue serves as a microcosm of the whole series where unexpected yet simple things would easily lead the society towards its downfall.

As for Ransom Getty’s artwork, it’s totally amazing. It’s up to his work to help energize the story that’s lacking action, and Getty delivers. The characters look like your ordinary people but they’re easy to distinguish and stand out from non-major ones. Oh and I just love how different the stern looking future is compared to the energetic vibrant concert scene. As for the art helping out with the storytelling, Getty has put good use to the panels. There are a couple of pages with sequential ones adding to the serious humor, and the full-page layouts that brought big impact. Quite easy to pick up is how the artist employed large empty panels to control the tension and zooming in and out of the faces depending on the gravity. Perhaps it also helps that colorist Chris Blythe makes use of a ton of dark tones, blacks, grays and browns, giving the mood a heavier feel. I imagine some people might have some beef against Bemis and his story, given that it’s political and all, but I’ll find it dubious if they got something against Getty’s artwork here.

If there’s anything for me to hate in this issue, it’s the big cliffhanger. Evil Empire #1‘s all about set up, introducing the future, then the characters, then the twist at the end which would probably be solved later. And just when I thought the pace is picking up, poof, cliffhanger ending! Readers would have to settle down and make sense of it all, then later think how this first issue would build up towards the dystopian future we were presented in the beginning. There’s the solid, relatable characters, superb artwork, and a very strong beginning. This might not be the action-packed or humorous comic I’m used to but I’d definitely crave for more from Evil Empire.


Alvin Minon