Invisible Republic Volume 1 Review

Genre = SCI-FI, Politics, Thriller, Dystopian, Comic

Author = Gabriel Hardman, Corinna Sara Bechko, Corinna Bechko, Jordan Boyd, Dylan Todd

Info = https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25698305-invisible-republic-vol-1?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=q0yP1o5osZ&rank=1

Synopsis:

This comic follows two different timelines with one about a writer who is looking for his next big hit to get him out of his slump but what will it be? When he comes across a manuscript that contains the journal entries of a woman. Little does he know who this woman really is until he starts reading her side of the story. The other side of the story is about how this futuristic world was once on the brink of a revolution and how it came about. We follow the woman on her journey through this revolution and will she survive it?

My Pitch To You:

I used to love anything remotely dystopian when I was a teenager I think it was because it was this dark and mysterious world that I knew nothing about but just was desperate to explore. It is funny how your interests in certain genres change as you grow older and that is what certainly has happened here. I thought going into a comic I would love it but as I have gotten older I was spending half the time reading this comic going where is the happy part. Don’t get me wrong this comic is visually stunning and a really interesting look at the ways in which we would have developed over time.

The plot of this comic is really engaging that you just can’t stop reading as it drip feeds you the information about the history of this world and the events leading up to the present time. The switching between two different timelines was done perfectly because it was interwoven into the base of the story as you were going back in time through the journal with little snippets of her writing in each panel which I felt made me connect more with Maia and her story. Here story I found fascinating because she is in this in-between of whether she is a revolutionary or not and still learning about what the movement really can and will do for this world. I think reading that transition as a reader makes you more inclined to keep going with the story as you can see more sides to the story rather than just having to believe one side of the revolution. The ending I found a bit predictable but it worked well to establish that the future was in a new generation’s hands that had seen the consequences of before so it begs the question whether they will learn from their mistakes.

The dialogue in this comic has a wide range from none at all to dense political conversation which contributed well to keep the flow of the comic going rather than what I find with a lot of comics its either way too much dialogue or very little dialogue. With a topic like this I think they did a fantastic job of capturing both sides in the dialogue through Arthur and Maia as both have the goal of freedom but they have different ideas of how to achieve it in this world. That is the ultimate question at what point is complete freedom obtained and can we only get so far in obtaining it and is it beneficially to go that far. The conversations they had throughout the comic really inspired me to think about that concept a lot.

The artwork in this comic is an incredible mash up of dark and dingy colours that make every situation feel suspicious. There is little difference I think in the transition between the two timelines only by the use of orange in lighter and hopefully moments. However, there is a darkness that you can really feel in the present timeline when you look at the way people are interacting and what is going on in the present timeline. The piece of artwork that really stood out for me was at the protest because captured that panic and uncertainty perfectly through the use of smoke and colour.

Overall, this is a really interesting comic that gets you thinking about those big concepts and how they can affect people and evolve in future times whether we will have the same notions we have today about what freedom means to people. I think that is another point that this comic does a fantastic job of touching on how the concept of revolution and freedom is relevant to the person and where there can be a common goal everyone will have a different interpretation of it. I think if you are looking for a great dystopian intertwining and political thriller then this comic is for you.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Where To Buy:

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© 2020 Emily Claire Cannings

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