COMIC BOOK REVIEW - Resurrection Man: Dead Again

I know exactly what you’re thinking right now. Resurrection Man is by far the stupidest name for a comic book character you’ve ever heard of and believe me, I’d be inclined to agree. I’d never heard of him, but you know, trying new things over here!

‘Dead Again’ tells the story of Mitch Shelley, a man who wakes up with no memory of who he is and where he’s going. He occasionally has fragments that pull and push him here and there. The twist is, he can’t seem to die and resurrects quickly, each time with a new meta super-power. As he attempts to find a purpose, he’s tracked by two separate parties, sent by Heaven and Hell to claim his soul. Naturally, he wants no part of it. The second half of the novel however then grounds itself in ‘reality’ as he finds himself imprisoned in Arkham Asylum, trying to explain who he is and what he can do. This obviously doesn’t go down too well.

I’ll be honest, I was a little surprised because for a relatively unknown character, Mitch Shelley was quite interesting and as he slowly regains his memories you see that he's a man who wants to forget who he once was and do some good with the powers that he now has. Even within the space of one novel, his character development is pretty rapid.

The artwork was done by the legendary Ivan Reis and that may be why I enjoyed it so much. The covers were also of his design, the one above from the issue where Resurrection Man finds himself in Arkham Asylum.

Favourite Panel:

This novel really showed that any character is worthy of redemption

Favourite Character:

Resurrection Man. I don’t know who calls him that but it’s a hilarious name. And his attitude is extremely entertaining to read.

Rating:

• Story Arc: ★★★

• Character Development: ★★★★

• Artwork: ★★★½

• Enjoyability: ★★★

• Re-readability: ★★★

Level: Beginner