Resonant #2 // Review
David Andry brings us back to a world still being hit with “waves” that makes people go mad and violent for a brief period as that wave passes through. It is a post-apocalyptic world where most humans do not trust one another. In the first issue, Andry introduces us to the family of Paxton. He is a single dad with three young children: Rebecca, Stef, and Ty. Previously, Paxton set out to get some medical supplies and has yet to return. While he is gone, another wave hits and our protagonists through their training survive the oncoming days.
Andry’s pacing is well-timed. In Issue #2, the reader gets a clear understanding of what the “wave” does, and how to survive one. In most cases, people have to tie themselves down to avoid self-harm. Andry introduces the reader to other minor characters and even a small trading town. Rebecca, Stef, and Ty are left to fend for themselves while they have no way to communicate with their father. As wary as Paxton is, someone still gets the drop on him.
Despite the overall hopelessness oozing from the characters and settings, Andry has time for a little humor. Paxton rescues a dog, and he has to convince the dog to trust him. As Paxton continues to travel, everyone offers to buy and cook the dog at every interaction. The reader quickly understands why the dog is distrustful of humans. As dark as this seems, it adds a little humor to the story.
Alejandro Aragon continues to astound the reader with his pencils and inks. He really breathes Andry’s world to life. Wordie’s colors work well with Aragona as Paxton moves from deep forest to a small town. Aragon and Wordie do a great job with the scenery change. The reader does not have to go back a few panels or a page to see where that change happened. This works for the pacing of the book. Altogether this team pulls off the laborious task of world-building while introducing new characters in the span of a few pages.
Once this first story arc is over, the reader should have a good grasp of the future he is writing. The story can develop much further from there. Two issues in, Resonant stands out from other indie titles about dystopian futures.
