Relive your life until it REALLY hurts!
This week saw the release of Dark Horse Comics’ “Reset”, a new four-issue mini-series from Harvey Award-winning cartoonist and “Hate” creator, Peter Bagge.
Find out what we thought after the cut.
Written and Illustrated by Peter Bagge
If you could relive major events in your life, would you take a stab at making things better–and would your best attempts only make things worse? Or would you use your second chance to put your most twisted, perverted fantasies in motion? These are questions washed up actor and comedian Guy Krause asks himself after he signs up to be the main research subject for a virtual reality experiment.
“Reset” is the story of washed-up actor/comedian Guy Krause and his haphazard attempt to get some cash as a test subject for a bizarre virtual reality experiment. By putting on a special sensory helmet, Krause is given a chance to relive his past and interact if he wants, but the whole thing freaks him out so much he can’t stop hitting the reset button and starting the experiment over again and again and again. But Krause’s unease about the project might not be completely unwarranted, as we learn that some of the bad luck plaguing him might not be just happenstance.
Continuing his “Apocalypse Nerd” partnership with Dark Horse Comics, Peter Bagge’s follow up to 2010’s “Other Lives” (Vertigo) is off to a strong start. The books subtle sci-fi premise and black and white palette makes it feel like the first act of a Twilight Zone episode, and I mean that as a total compliment. The pacing and character introductions are as delicate as Bagge knows how to be, with lead-man Krause’s personality laid out within just a few lines of him showing up, and nearly every other character playing out in a similar way. What’s interesting, though, is Bagge’s decision to have Krause — an out of work comedian — be the least funny guy in the book. Whether I’m misreading the jokes or it’s a conscious decision, I found Krause’s lack of comedy to be pretty humorous in and of itself.
Bagge’s art style is, of course, Bagge’s style. Consistent and distinctive, but it does lacks some of the energy found in his other projects. The DUI class opening has some of what I was expecting, with Krause’s widemouthed defense of himself when singled out by the instructor, but it loses something — just a little bit — as we get deeper into the narrative. However, something worth noting is the way Bagge switches gears when Krause is flashing back to his past. He uses a sort of simplified, almost flat approach to storytelling that does an excellent job of differentiating the past from the more traditionally-Bagge rendered present.
To say more about “Reset” would just give away too much, and quite honestly, this is just the first issue. Plenty happens, but there’s a lot more to come. The way this one ends, though, leaves you with plenty of questions as to why Krause is so important to the project, and more than enough reason to come back next month.
Final Verdict: 7.25 — Nice start, and well worth a look if you like Bagge.
Also, take a look at this “Reset” #1 variant cover by Matt Kindt:
