Rebels #2

by Forrest.H on May 13, 2015

Writer: Brian Wood
Artist: Andrea Mutti
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire 
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: May 13, 2015
Cover Price: $3.99
 
Wood and Mutti bring a story that should be familiar to most of us to life in a new light with Rebels #2.

Sure, it’s hard to believe that Seth Abbott is only 17 years old but, everything else about this comic is so genuine and believable that it has the potential to transport you to another time even if only for a few pages.

Wood writes a poetic, heavy handed narrative that fits the seriousness of the American Revolution and really leans in to all of its influences and complexities to great reward. Seth’s narration reads like a journal of person that was actually there for all of this, like Wood is somehow in touch with the men and women that made this country what it is today.

The pacing is a bit off, especially the left turn in the middle of the issue with Mercy and I think an entire issue dedicated to that aspect of their lives would better suit the story but, it’s such a lively depiction of a world and time that none of us will be able to visit that the minor narrative missteps are forgivable.

Each page and panel is so detailed, vivid and lush that Mutti and Bellaire simply must’ve been there. I won’t accept any other explanation. The difference in pace and tone between Mercy and Seth’s embraces in the water and the climactic end is so wonderfully done that you’re willing to accept some of the confusion about what’s happening to who (the action scenes especially are frantic and slightly muddled) just to live in this world a little bit longer.

Ultimately, Wood and Mutti might not succeed in telling a perfectly cohesive and concise story. What they do incredibly well, however, is bringing this world to life in  a way that none of us will ever be able to experience elsewhere. 

Our Score:

8/10

A Look Inside