At its core, Resurrection Man: Quantum Karma #3 is a story about the downsides of immortality. While Mitch Shelley has managed to save countless lives over his various deaths, he’s also lost loved ones and experienced unimaginable tragedy. But in one of the most shocking revelations in recent comic history, it turns out that Shelley is connected to another immortal from DC’s pantheon: Vandal Savage. In fact, the two gained their immortality from the same meteor!
It’s one of those retcons that you never expect, but it makes sense. Mitch and Savage are both united by immortality, yet completely different in their action: one of Savage’s first actions is to brutally murder Mitch, sparking his first resurrection…and when Mitch has the chance to return the favor, he doesn’t. I’ve always felt that the difference between a hero and a villain is the choices they make, and from their very first brush with immortality, Mitch and Savage embrace their roles.
This conflict is compelling, but Ram V throws a curveball at viewers by digging deep into one of Mitch’s past relationships with a scientist named Rhea, It’s here that the downsides of immortality start to be shown: though the two are deeply in love, Mitch is pushed to the breaking point – both by the deaths he endures to protect her and by the knowledge that he’ll outlive her. “I die a thousand different deaths to keep her safe,” Mitch says in one panel – a perfect example of how V’s writing can be both poetic and profound, no matter the genre.
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The artwork by Anand RK also continues to defy description. A whole splash page features golden gears spinning, then spitting out a conflagration that envelops the heavens. Mitch’s deaths literally transform his body throughout the ages; one minute he’s an abstract painting that would make Pablo Picasso jealous, the next he’s a burning skeleton, and then he’s a swarm of figures taking on Savage in the modern day. There’s one page that burned itself into my mind; it’s a trippy, Escherian collection of images that is somehow both finite and infinite at the same time. Trust me when I say that there’s very few superhero comics that are getting this trippy.
None of this would work without Mike Spicer’s color art. His work makes infinity feel beautiful, and resurrection feel horrific, particularly where Savage or the monstrous Gadashakuro are concerned. Even the very first page, featuring artwork by Jackson “Butch” Guice, is visually arresting: it features Mitch and the Phantom Stranger staring off into the vast abyss of space. What makes it awe inspiring is the sheer scope – these are two beings who’ve lived far longer than any human, and they’re staring out into space like you or I might look at the Grand Canyon.
Resurrection Man: Quantum Karma #3 is moving in all the right ways, as it explores why someone wouldn’t want to live forever. It’s been a while since one of DC’s Black Label books has impacted me, but this is a comic no one – old or new, superhero lover or indie champion – will want to keep off their pull lists.
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