You Won’t Be Able to Shake Off the RESONANT

Main Cover for RESONANT #1 out July 31, 2019

So it all comes down to this. Have you ever had a fleeting thought so destructive it left your waking consciousness as quickly as it had arrived? Did you ever ease that tension and slow down the tremor enough to consider asking where that thought came from, or why? Resonant is that story. A story you were too afraid to tell yourself but couldn’t escape its destructive trail left behind in your thoughts. It is an account of events facing your would-be unknowns into abstract realities while suddenly ripping itself to shreds with no apologies. It puts to words the very thought you had after you forgot you had it at all, but were too afraid to whisper out loud once you were able to remember. This is a story so terrifying and so nightmarish that you will notice your own ability to refrain from being spooked begin to take a considerable downturn. I cannot speak for everyone, but coming from my own experience I can say that upon my read of this haunting slice of a vaguely familiar post-apocalyptic fright came with more nerves and more chills than I am comfortable admitting. This is not a comic to pass on as you prepare to finalize your summer budget.

A brief summary as pulled from the Vault website:

Do you answer the call to the void?

A decade has passed since the first Waves hit, unleashing humanity’s darkest impulses and plunging the world into chaos. Paxton, a single father of three, must venture from the secluded haven they’ve built to restock the medicine his chronically-ill youngest son needs to survive. When the somewhat routine trip goes awry, Paxton and his children – now separated – will battle everything in their path to reunite.

Written by industry veteran David Andry, Resonant is instantly compelling. This deeply crafted world is brought to life with inks from Ale Aragon, colors from Jason Wordie, and letters by Deron Bennett.

Resonant hits shelves in July, 2019!

The beginning of the story starts at an accelerated pace as writer David Andry manages to pace our introductions for things to come as one would in order to sprint toward the point of intent. It is my fair assumption that his intent is none other than the literal scaring of fresh blisters off your knuckles left from hours of none other than bracing yourself from the pages turned long after you put the comic down. While left in the dust expected to understand the whys and the where’s Andry is planting subtle details of things to come. Some of these foreshadowing visuals happen before the end of these stunning first two issues, and others I am assuming will take shape as the plot develops as we go along. He wastes no time getting to the space left between the lines, waiting for the lull between Waves.

Basic conceptual development here includes a fright pattern known simply as “Waves”. These Waves somehow catalyze vibrant upticks of rage-entrusted emotion that invoke a towering frenzy and curiosity of the painfully unknown. Andry has done an extraordinary job weaving together a plot interesting enough to warrant multiple reads while keeping the right amount of unknowns visible so it remains with you days after you put it down. This story does not leave your mind. The haunt will last much longer than the story itself.

It would be disservice to speak of this story as long-lasting if I were to overlook the brilliant visual stylings of artist Ale Aragon. His jagged linework and detailed vision of the surroundings bring to life the trepidation in that this story shapes to become. The lines literally speak for themselves giving the illustrations a voice all their own. Pages will crawl as you turn them, and whether or not that is from the artwork or your trembling hands is an answer to a question I’d rather steer away from and let you settle down with yourself. Only with the organically distraught style brought with Aragon’s own techniques allow for its stellar pairing to such a story as this one. Add to that the vibrant but dreary color palette of Jason Wordie and it becomes a complete package destined for top shelf horror. Wordie already has a resume worth noting with titles such as God Country and Abbott, so it is to be expected that the colors in RESONANT take on a character and importance here also.

The horror genre seems to have had a recent resurgence in quality and pop culture acceptance, so it seems fitting for comics to also. The Walking Dead has been chasing us with zombies for years, scaring us as we stumble and fall trying to get away from the undead. Bird Box took it a step further last year when it loosened our grip on our perspectives toward motives of self-harm. RESONANT will definitely become a story told in the same breath as these and a model for those who come after. I feel that I should probably remember where I was when I first read this comic because these are the stories worth bookmarking life’s moments to. There is something special being told here, and it is scary as all hell.