Resurrectionists #1
Writer: Fred Van Lente
Artwork: Maurizio Rosenzweig
Inks and Colours: Moreno Dinisio
Letters: Nate Plekos of Blambot
Cover: Juan Doe
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
“How can you know who you are, if you don’t know who you’ve been?” Those are the first words written by Resurrectionists scribe Fred Van Lente, as the first issue opens up with quite the exhilarating ride. What if we were connected to our past lives in a much grander way than simply believing in the ideology? The concept of Resurrectionists presents a group of individuals whom call themselves the same title of this series. A resurrectionist is one whom is directly connected to their past lives and can inhibit these spirits beyond a previous lifetime. However, not all resurrectionists are aware they have this ability.
This concept puts on a show almost immediately. A mysterious woman named Lena is introduced running from a group of men called ‘answerers’. She quickly dispatches the trouble by inhibiting the spirits of a Native American warrior, switching to a Viking, and lastly to an ancient Chinese martial artist; each spirit representing Lena’s many past lives. Lena is investigating a company named Sojourn, whom has just learned of a man being called the ‘maker’. Enter Jericho Way: architect, criminal, thief. Jericho, like the reader, has no idea what is about to occur. His life is about to change in dramatic fashion.
A lot of terms are thrown in the air through the quick-witted script of Fred Van Lente and will surely play out as the series progresses. However, the hook is firmly planted in the water, hopefully attracting plenty of fish. If Lente’s fast paced script isn’t good enough, Maurizio Rosenzweig’s artwork heightens the quality of this first issue. Rosenzweig’s line work is immediately reminiscent of John Romita Jr’s’ work, most notable through the faces of the many characters. He beautifully plays with lighting as characters’ shadows grace walls, reinforced with the colouring and inking by Moreno Dinisio. Rosenzweig is not afraid to experiment with the comic frames as well, uniquely bending a frame as arrows fly across the page or splashing out a collage of images. This is a very exciting team that really shines in this high concept.
Dark Horse Comics has a sure hit on their hands with this extremely fun to read first issue. Five Ghosts is the only other series on the stands that really jumped out as sharing such a quality sense of adventure from the start. Resurrectionist embodies the feeling of a great pulp novel that readers should add to their pull list sooner than later. You will immediately be looked at as one of the ‘cooler’ cats from your local comic ship.