by Tiff Douglas
You are reading a story about a dystopian future, you’re walking straight into a situation that has been stewing in it’s moral ineptitude for quite a while, everyone in the story is wondering to themselves “how did it get this way? How did we fall so far?”. The story isn’t about exactly how they got there but how people can get back to a stage of normalcy. No matter how bad your world gets or how much we ignore, a hero will come along and wake us all up. Why not try to stop it while the shit first starts to come down? This is what Evil Empire by Max Bemis is about. A very realistic and close look at how the road to oblivion is paved by the voter.
You are reading a story about a dystopian future, you’re walking straight into a situation that has been stewing in it’s moral ineptitude for quite a while, everyone in the story is wondering to themselves “how did it get this way? How did we fall so far?”. The story isn’t about exactly how they got there but how people can get back to a stage of normalcy. No matter how bad your world gets or how much we ignore, a hero will come along and wake us all up. Why not try to stop it while the shit first starts to come down? This is what Evil Empire by Max Bemis is about. A very realistic and close look at how the road to oblivion is paved by the voter.
Max Bemis’ very sarcastic tone in this comic is very interesting. He makes a thought provoking social satire not seem so preachy by making the conversations very casual. Every now and then the characters are allowed to monologue but the context that is created around it takes any danger away from the message becoming pompous. Bemis is the front man for Say Anything, a punk/ emo band from L.A, his lyrics are sardonic and often emotional, the way he writes comics is often lyrical and poetic as a result. One of the main characters of Evil Empire is a female musician, which is a comment on the power, that musical artists feel, how they believe they have a civil duty to let those who are listening understand what they see. People relate to music on a level that out reaches any other form of media, even if they’re only listening to the beat, the message is in their head somewhere. Bemis has structured a world that is very much like our own, with very subtle and seedy things happening behind the smiles of the people on television. I’m looking forward to a front row seat to the decline, maybe I can take some notes.
The artwork is very good, Ransom Getty has created characters that are rich in personality and expression, slipping only slightly in some facial expression that require more depth and long shots which need more detail. The panels are very easy to follow and the lettering by Ed Dukeshire is not at all confusing. This is a very well-crafted comic which feels more like a graphic novel. It gives us a lot of information but allows us to follow it at a pace where we don’t have to read back on anything. Evil Empire cuts up intense social satire with some well-placed humour and still manages to create an uneasy atmosphere.
My prediction is that we will witness the birth of monsters, the stifling of truth and the steady surrender of liberty. Welcome to the future.
The artwork is very good, Ransom Getty has created characters that are rich in personality and expression, slipping only slightly in some facial expression that require more depth and long shots which need more detail. The panels are very easy to follow and the lettering by Ed Dukeshire is not at all confusing. This is a very well-crafted comic which feels more like a graphic novel. It gives us a lot of information but allows us to follow it at a pace where we don’t have to read back on anything. Evil Empire cuts up intense social satire with some well-placed humour and still manages to create an uneasy atmosphere.
My prediction is that we will witness the birth of monsters, the stifling of truth and the steady surrender of liberty. Welcome to the future.
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