Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Illustrated by Guiu Vilanova
Colored by Vinicius Andrade
Published by Dynamite Comics
“Make a difference” utters the dying man in Twilight Zone #12. The haunting words each echo in the mind without relenting once one reads it. This is the idea of working to change and make the world a better place. It is a strong sentiment to be born out of just a few words. The force of one person to change the course of history is not a new action. No, it is an action which has occurred in the past, and even in the daily lives of others. It is the daring choice to envision a world of peace and kindness. The comic seeks to inspire and move and succeeds at doing this in its writing and presentation. With all of these ideas expressed, let it be known I came into the comic at the finishing act of the arc.
The plot of this series goes as follows. The comic opens with a nameless individual seeking to correct the death of a man named John Black. How and why does the nameless know these facts, I can only assume the prior comics answer these questions. Here in the present of the comic John Black is alive. John’s opening speech is an attempt to move all people to a common goal to resist fear and hatred and work to towards inspiring others to peace, goodness, and hope. By the nameless man protecting John and saving his life, we witness the undoing of all the tragedies hinted at in the comic. The tragedies undone and hope restored. We become witness to: a woman being given a chance to higher education, a rebuilding of a fallen village, a change of job occupation of a businessman, and an encounter between a woman and an older man. The final scene finishes with a faceless man in a chair chatting with an elderly man about the status and changes in the world as a result of the nameless man’s actions. The audience is left to reflect on the motivating idea of the goodness which humanity can achieve.
The artwork offers a realistic depiction of the different characters in the environment. We gain details of characters’ facial features and see the array of emotions. Such as the shading on the nameless man’s figure reveal someone who is tired and tried, but determined to go into his plan. The background of the comic may appear simple in the details, yet the colorist has taken to allow contrast between characters and the world. For example, when the nameless man gives his life for John Black, the panel shines greatly in mood and tone because the colorist and the illustrator work hand in hand to show a somber scene. The other characters are left in shadow as the nameless man and John are left in light. In the work of light and dark scenes between the colorist and the illustrator the character’s dialogue and actions stand out most because the audience can realize the mood of the piece.
The comic comes with a successful approach of encouraging people to make a change in their world. The moment reading the comic comes easy, and it can be thought as just a normal piece of literature. Yet I allowed the idea to simmer in my mind and to review the comic on several reads. I am a fan of the old Twilight Zone with the old black and white filming, and the show tried to make the audience to think about their lives and the relationship to the story to themselves. Straczynski and Vilanova keep the nature of the original show alive and offer the idea of “make a difference” at the completion of their story.
As for the conclusion of Twilight Zone, it moves and stirs the reader to a deep thought, “How will your own life make a difference?”