Resurrection Man: Quantum Karma #1: Death Again and Time

Burning alive or being electrocuted may be terrible ways to die. But is it so bad if the result is resurrecting with the power to create fire or throw electrical bolts? Resurrection Man: Quantum Karma #1 takes that idea in a new direction, taking this superhero origin and bending it toward a high concept, sci-fi, metaphysical tale.

Mathieu Salierre dies in Resurrection Man Quantum Karma #1’s opening pages. In an effort to escape his ongoing life of reincarnation and resulting superpowers, Mitch Shelley, the Resurrection Man, settled down, made a family, and lived a long and full life. At long last he dies of old age. But he resurrects again. And having died of old age, his new power is time. He encounters another version of himself, the first Resurrection Man to acquire this power. This First Resurrection Man has greeted every subsequent version of himself across many universes when this moment came. He helps acclimate each time-powered Resurrection Man and sets them on the task of saving the universe from an enemy bent on devouring it.

Resurrection Man: Quantum Karma #1 is primarily background and concept. Ram V does kick off the plot effectively, but the issue is slow going much of the time. The issue’s second half reads more like a traditional prose story overlaying pictures.

Conceptually, though, Resurrection Man: Quantum Karma #1 does bring a lot to the table. The opening description of how Resurrection Man gets his powers is relatively straightforward, as is how those powers manifest. They have a predictable superpower quality to them. Manifesting the power of time as a result of dying of old age is a clever way to set this Resurrection Man series apart, putting the titular main character in a story that feels fresh for him. This is where the heavier sci-fi and metaphysical concepts come into play. Ram V is able to explain everything in a way that makes sense and piques curiosity. But going into detail is what keeps the issue from picking up speed and urgency.

Packed into this rich story concept is also good character development. It mostly bookends the issue, first introducing Resurrection Man and his most recent life and then going back into his past. In this way V keeps the first issue compelling on a character level rather than getting lost completely in the higher concept.

Anand RK’s art is strangely contradictory. Most of the backgrounds in Resurrection Man: Quantum Karma #1 have a two dimensional quality. There is minimal shading (when there is any) around walls or objects. Characters throw shadows but little else does.

This contrasts significantly with the characters which don’t just have shading and cast shadows, but overall are more detailed than their surroundings. Deep wrinkles or other such worry lines add dimension to characters’ faces. Visible veins emphasize tension. At times, especially in the issue’s final scenes where they are depicted in more strenuous activity, there is almost a sinewy quality to the characters which emphasizes their organic nature. This duality in the issue’s art causes the characters to pop off the page in a way their surroundings don’t, even if at times they appear over emphasized.

The most striking art comes in the First Resurrection Man’s out-of-time realm. The first look at the otherworldly environment comes on a panel spread across two pages and taking up a little over half the height of both. This setting is the major exception to Anand RK’s art in the sense that the level of detail and shading gives the background a sense of scale and depth. Even though the environment is distinctly otherworldly, it feels more real than almost all other environments in Resurrection Man: Quantum Karma #1.

Spicer’s coloring early in the issue gives off an ethereal quality. Hues of pink and orange dominate, at times unnaturally. There is relatively little contrast. The sequence gives off warmth.

That ethereal quality doesn’t last beyond the early pages, though. The color palette is more diverse and starker contrasts result. The almost unnatural warmth gives way to a more natural feel. Spicer’s color choices have the effect of dividing the issue into two parts, before and after the titular character’s latest resurrection.

Bidikar’s most striking lettering effect is using white text set against black bubbles and captain boxes for the First Resurrection Man’s dialogue. Certainly it singles him out amongst the other characters in the issue. It also creates a stark divide between him and the Resurrection Man that is this series’ main character. The First Resurrection Man feels somewhat unnatural which helps define his character.