There are a lot of comics out there, but some just stand out head and shoulders above the pack. With “Don’t Miss This” we want to spotlight those series we think need to be on your pull list. This week, Vault Comics’s “Resonant” #4 continues the story of a father struggling to bring medicine home to his chronically ill son, while his children face individual trials of their own.
Oh, did we mention there’s a total apocalypse at play?
Who’s This By?
“Resonant” is written by David Andry (“Last Supper”), with art by Alejandro Aragon (“Death Orb”), colors by Jason Wordie (“Wasted Space,” “God Country”), and letters by Deron Bennett (“Canto,” “Excellence”).
What’s This All About?
Paxton is a father of three whose youngest son, Stef, is chronically ill and requires medicine for his breathing issues. He must venture out of their tucked-away haven into the wider blasted landscape of “Resonant” to battle the Waves that human beings to their basest impulses, and save his family.
Meanwhile, his children struggle to maintain their bonds while he’s gone. And then there’s that whole “survival” thing.
(Warning: spoilers ahead)
So, Why Should I Read This?
“Resonant” isn’t shaping up like your typical post-apocalyptic narrative. The battles so far have been small, weird and personal, and while the pacing can be a bit of a surprise, it’s also pretty refreshing. Andry and Aragon have something keen to say about human nature and will in this comic, and keeping the focus narrow helps drive it home and adds some lyricism to the relationships highlighted and built throughout the story.
In Issue #4, Paxton’s marooned on an island run by Honcho, a boisterous and arguably psychotic frat-boy-cum-landlord of a nasty and desolate spit of land. He’s beset by cannibals – or so he says – and requires Paxton and his other captives to fight for his survival. He also has an interesting way of helping his flock maintain their control during the Waves. Whereas Paxton’s developed a keen control of his body, Honcho’s just straight-up immune. Andry drops this particular detail toward the end of this issue and blesses us by withholding its origin, which means we’ve got a month to ruminate before it’s revealed. Or, if the stars align, maybe we’ll move on without a lengthy explanation or Honcho’s existence somehow being the key to it all.
If what we’ve encountered in “Resonant” so far is any indication, it’s that Andry and Aragon aren’t too concerned with the whys and the hows of the desolation surrounding Paxton and his family. The story centers around individuals and their choices, regrets and repressed emotions. The apocalypse and the blasted landscape are a functional reflection of each character’s internal state, and some pretty sly and well-crafted set dressing for more interesting struggles. Ty and Bec were at each other’s throats in the last issue and while the quick disintegration of familial conviviality may rankle for some, it’s clear that the respite was temporary. Paxton’s odyssey means Bec and Ty are left to their fears, doubts and impulses, Waves or no. Issue #4 sees Ty plopped in a sinister Christian cult that can somehow resist the Waves, while Bec battles the looming threat of the bear. Throughout the comic, each character deals with a threat tailored to their yearnings and their trauma: for Ty, it’s the desire to connect with someone outside of his family and, perhaps outside of himself. For Bec, it’s control and mastery of her surroundings as she reaches for the competence of her father. For Stef, it’s the externalized challenge of his failing body. For Paxton, it’s the grown version of Bec’s challenge – to master and defeat his own failings, and bring stability and security to his family. Andry and Aragon spool out these individual challenges with care, and “Resonant” succeeds because of that attention to detail.
Aragon’s art is a scratchy, spindly wonderland that pairs very well with Wordie’s splashy hues, especially when the Waves come. The two work seamlessly to create a very trippy book, and issue #4 features an excellent example of how this partnership elevates the story. As Honcho slaps Paxton out of his trance, he’s finally helpless as the Wave takes over. Though he’s strapped in, his face is a rictus of madness, fear and pain as Honcho blabs on about his immunity and his inflated sense of self. The orderly panels of the previous page disintegrate here as Wordie’s textures and swipes of color surround Paxton, Honcho and his men. Aragon details two indistinguishable men frantically shoving each other in the foreground while Honcho stands erect, idly twirling a sword, next to a thrashing Paxton. Honcho’s free of the sickly hues of the other men and Paxton’s red-tinged madness and functions as a visual oasis on the page. He’s even got a soothing, grey aura that physically separates him from the colorful background, and he draws our eye as a result.
Aragon’s two irregular inset panels echo the instability of the moment and ratchet up tension as Honcho circles Paxton, and the final panel at the bottom of the page shows a drooling Paxton free of the madness as it trickles off the page, seemingly banished by Honcho’s clean white background and cheery patterned shirt. The panel is an inversion of Ty’s ecstatic reach toward the sky as he’s suffused with white light in the previous scene. Wordie’s dots of color highlight Aragon’s spare action lines to perfection, and the entire scene is a perfect example of how well these two artists work together.
Benett’s font choice in this book is interesting, as it’s very difficult to choose something that’ll complement Aragon’s explosive style. It’s thin, peaky and wider than you’d expect, but that width gives the dialogue some steadiness and balance. The shakiness on the S’s and O’s echo the story’s tenison, but aren’t so irregular that they impede readability. Benett goes for a drawn stroke on the balloons but keeps the shape pretty smooth, and it’s a nice visual break from the occasional dips into controlled chaos on the page.
Overall, the team builds a tense and compelling narrative in “Resonant.” At the end of this issue, Paxton’s stuck in an increasingly weird and unsettling situation, Ty’s on the brink of indoctrination into a cult and Bec’s about to go toe to toe with a bear. All of these disparate and strange plot threads hang together because the emotional pitch and craft are consistent and good.
How Can You Read It?
“Resonant” #4 is out today, and all previous issues are available through your LCS or Comixology.
