Comic review: Rebels #2- In the Forrest with Mr. Wood

Writer: Brian Wood
Artist: Andrea Mutti
Colourist: Jordie Bellaire
Publisher: Image Comics
Released: 13th May 2015


The most note-worthy moment in Rebels #2 occurs after the story has finished, and writer Brian Wood engages with his readers in an essay about American flag waving.

I found that to be illuminating, because what it really is, is an attempt by Wood to convince his liberally minded readers that, don’t worry lads/lasses, I’m still one of you, I’m still a left leaning good guy.

That’s okay, I understand it, especially given his history where he has written books that have savaged the right wing types, putting all of the blame for the world’s ills (and imagined future ills) onto the racist, homophobic, intolerant right wingers.

The problem in 2015 for long-time liberal minded writers is that the paradigm of left versus right, or good versus evil is not quite as secure as it once appeared to be. Brian Wood then is like a lot of long-term leftists, negotiating within himself and trying to work out just what went wrong, why his ideological foundations are now looking a bit on the crumbly side.

I’ll leave that for him to figure out, and talk about Rebels #2 for a little bit now.

The book will probably read better in tpb, but that doesn’t mean that the single issues are not worth getting, because they are. It’s just that in this age of instant box-set access the month long wait can seem a bit prolonged, especially when a book is taking it’s time and telling a well structured fully rounded story.

This issue is about one guy, older than he looks, and I like that touch because it feels genuine, and how he is a new husband, and a revolutionary soldier, and how he manages to handle that balancing act. The story is told through his POV, and that has its pluses and minuses. The pluses being that it means you build up more emotional connectivity with the story because the bloke is talking directly to you, the minus' being that you know he’s never going to be taken out by a random red coat bullet because then who would be telling the story?

You lose some tension with this story-telling technique, but you gain bucket loads of empathy as his nearest and dearest will inevitably pay a huge price for what he is engaged in. I can live with that, and I like the slow pace of the book, despite what I said earlier in the review, it works well, because life isn’t all fast, all action, there’s lots of slow bits in it as well.

The key to the story is making it seem real, and the art is a big plus here. There’s a grit and darkness to certain panels, then bright white to signify the freshness of a day in the countryside. The people look like real people, there is spittle in their mouths, there’s no big muscles here, and I really enjoyed the dramatic splashes of colour during the action scenes as well. 

I have some good news for left leaning comic book fans, and let’s face it, that’s probably about 90% of the comic book reading audience of today. Brian Wood is no right wing gun nut, and you don’t have to feel bad about reading his book. He’s hanging, doggedly onto the left, but I do feel that his grip is loosening, and in that sense he’s no different to any other long time hope and change boyhood Marxist type. He’s got a good book here in Rebels #2, and I’ll continue to read along, not just to see where the story goes, but to follow the journey of Mr Wood as well.


Rating: 8/10