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lukeisthename34's review against another edition
4.0
Well this was certainly horrifying on every level. A must read.
jessaca_with_an_a's review against another edition
4.0
All I can say is this is a disturbingly exciting and plausible alternate reality that Bemis+Getty+Mutti have decided to explore here! I'm not even sure if "alternate reality" is the correct description because the story basically takes place in the now, and with everything going on in the political world of the United States, it's a bit terrifying to realize how quickly things could turn ugly here. That's a lot to say for a dystopian-style book I think. They're oftentimes set so far in the future that people are filled with a sense of euphoria about the fall and rise of man, a kind of excitement about what the world could look like if we destroyed it and started to build it back up. Not this comic though. Evil Empire strips us of that fantasy and forces us to watch as our comforts are taken away from us and chaos ensues. And this time it's not because of zombies or some nuclear experimentation or whatever, it's by one person (and their followers). I've seriously got chills and I feel like I'm developing a bit of paranoia from this read. Definitely going to grab the next one and watch the saga unfold.
dellaporta's review against another edition
3.0
dogunderwater's review against another edition
3.0
Okay so I bought this because the "how did we actually get to the dystopian future" is a premise I would really like more of, and it does do that...but like.....really clumsily? This is too Fight Club inspired to be really transgressive or shocking, so while I liked the main character, it just didn't quite coalesce. Max Bemis doesn't really have a great grasp of how the political machine would actually work (or what a fucking scandal it would be if even a Democratic senator running for president was caught shacking up with a rapper who wrote a song called 'Fist Fucking the FBI') so we only get ~stirring speeches~ and obvious power plays rather than any machinations that would be playing out behind the curtain.
Ransom Getty's art is generally very dynamic and fun, but the panel layouts are artless and the character designs too obvious. It's only when the art flips to Andrea Mutti does the villainous Republican senator look anything like a normal person rather than an evil pair of eyebrows.
Max Bemis tries to play with a time skip - from the dystopian future to the crumbling present - but it kind of only serves to undermine the premise, and I don't really give a shit about a world where dudes are wearing Nazi-looking armbands and literally calling themselves the Evil Empire. I mean, where is that going? It's a dead end of story cliches thus far, and the pages would have been served giving me more political insight.
It's whatev, basically.
Ransom Getty's art is generally very dynamic and fun, but the panel layouts are artless and the character designs too obvious. It's only when the art flips to Andrea Mutti does the villainous Republican senator look anything like a normal person rather than an evil pair of eyebrows.
Max Bemis tries to play with a time skip - from the dystopian future to the crumbling present - but it kind of only serves to undermine the premise, and I don't really give a shit about a world where dudes are wearing Nazi-looking armbands and literally calling themselves the Evil Empire. I mean, where is that going? It's a dead end of story cliches thus far, and the pages would have been served giving me more political insight.
It's whatev, basically.
francomega's review
4.0
You know how you have a pet dog or cat and they're the cutest, sweetest thing in the world and then they have that moment, no matter how cute and sweet they are, when their primeval instinct flashes before you? A growl or a bite, something that reminds you, if only for an instant, that you're sharing your home with an animal rather than a family member or a fluffy plaything. It's not something to worry about, but it's there, ever present beneath the surface.
Now take that to the ultimate level. Look around at all the people you interact with on a daily basis, all the people you blindly pass on the street, everyone collectively agreeing to a social contract of general civility. But, really, what's stopping anyone from attacking anyone else, from doing whatever they wanted? How thin is that line?
That's a central thread in this first volume of an intriguing new series. How much distance is really between civilization and chaos? While they don't follow that thread as thoroughly as I would have liked, they do raise some thought-provoking questions that carry the story to the big twist cliffhanger (that, unfortunately, I mostly saw coming).
I'm a little worried this could turn into a generic dystopian story line, but we'll see.
Now take that to the ultimate level. Look around at all the people you interact with on a daily basis, all the people you blindly pass on the street, everyone collectively agreeing to a social contract of general civility. But, really, what's stopping anyone from attacking anyone else, from doing whatever they wanted? How thin is that line?
That's a central thread in this first volume of an intriguing new series. How much distance is really between civilization and chaos? While they don't follow that thread as thoroughly as I would have liked, they do raise some thought-provoking questions that carry the story to the big twist cliffhanger (that, unfortunately, I mostly saw coming).
I'm a little worried this could turn into a generic dystopian story line, but we'll see.
jlarson0504's review
3.0
It was alright. It sets up a dystopian future and goes back and forth between present day and 25 years in the future where anarchy has become the norm. This is only vol. 1 but I feel like the future story line didn't really bring much to the table at the end.
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