Evil Empire #1

~~The future, this bleak totalitarian society is a mad world with its citizens on the brink of chaos. But let’s step back a little bit, how did this world get this way? With a world mirroring our very own, who can say? Narrated by a famous rapper named Reese, we are privy to a political game of stardom, the media and murder. Welcome to the Evil Empire.
 

The Team

Written by Max Bemis (Polarity) and illustrated by Ransom Getty.
 

The Pros & Cons

Great science fiction stories often begin with a society or a world already collapsed or in turmoil, in fact, the comic opens up about just that. This series will attempt to explain how a perfectly sensible society became a chaotic one. Through a series of flashbacks, we slowly witness a campaign between two politicians; one trying to do the right thing and another afflicted by a horrific crime. Fast forward a quarter of a century and the streets are run by masked gunmen. Are they the police? Are they vigilantes? Or are they something far more sinister? 

The protagonist of the story, the present one anyway, is Reese, she’s a popular rapper with a huge chip on her shoulders manifested as politicians, in short, men of power. Opposing both parties, she’s portrayed as an individual who’s sincere about changing the world with her music and her strong opinions, but is willing to listen, as one of said politicians confesses that he’s a fan.

For some reason the plot reminded me of the satirical movie Bulworth, in which a politician played by Warren Beatty becomes friendly with a hip hop woman played by Halle Berry, but with a dystopian future and without the comedy of course. The characters are interesting enough and the illustrations complement the flow of the story.
 

The Outcome

Everything I mentioned makes Evil Empire a decent enough comic with some potential to explore this world slowly crumble piece by piece, but what surprised me and what will make me return for the second issue was the ending. It came out of nowhere and completely caught me off guard.
 

Rating: 7