Testament #1

Writer: Douglas Rushkoff
Artist and Cover: Liam Sharp
Colorist: Jamie Grant
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher

Plot: In a world where U.S. citizens are tagged and monitored, a draft has been instituted and the son of a military scientist chooses which side he is playing for. The events in this world of “Big Brother” are paralleled with biblical references, most specifically Abraham’s test of faith to his lord by sacrificing his son Isaac.

Review: Testament, written by Douglas Rushkoff, social satirist and author of the books Why We Listen to what “They” Say and Nothing Sacred: the Truth about Judaism, puts us in a world where government “oversight” has put everyone in a precarious position and are forced to decide between individuality and subservience to the state. The not so subtle biblical allegory is an affective tool used masterfully by the artist to define what side of the good and evil line most of the characters fall under. Things are not as cut and dried as that sounds and something that I think will continue to make this book more and more enjoyable is the muddied intentions and the inability of the characters to see past their focused goal. This is an intelligent comic that connects Old Testament lessons with present day worries and fears, lightly salted with Jungian archetypes partly told in words, but more affectively told with the beautiful artwork of Liam Sharp. Depending on your religious and/or political leanings, this book may not sit well with you. But give it a chance, I don’t think this book is an attempt to force feed you ideas that you are not comfortable with, but actually an attempt to tell an intelligent story layered with different perspectives.

Special thanks go out to Jeremy Shorr, owner of Titan Comics for allowing us to use his advance preview books for review purposes.

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