Story by: Dan Abnett
Art by: Colin MacNeil
Published by: Rebellion
Space, the final frontier, these are the voyages of the…. Whoa, scratch that idealized view of life among the stars. This is a far more grounded affair than that of James T. Kirk; this is a Rebellion title! Dan Abnett, in Insurrection: Liberty, has laid out a very human, science fiction tale; one where war, tragedy, betrayal, brutality and loss, are all intertwined with the concept of Freedom and liberty – and it is set within the confines of the world of Judge Dredd and Mega City One. We follow the story along with Willard Gallows, a Justice Department Colonial Marshal. From the starting point, the opening page details the happy Marshal, things rapidly evolve into much darker territory.
Dan has crafted spectacular story of conflict and ideology; the characters leap from the page, demanding your attention, and the manner in which the plot unfolds gives you pause for thought; like all examples of quality writing this piece makes you re-examine how you view certain aspects of the world of Mega City One. Along with the cracking plot, it is the rich characterization that really comes to the fore. The actions/reactions, the motivations, are all organic, all very effectively expounded by Abnett.
The art on this book is suitably stunning, Colin MacNeil brings the feel of space colony life into focus with aplomb. From the bloodiest of battles to silent introspection, the art never skips a beat. It is in the various battles that the art really shines, you feel the chaos, the fury, and the savagery of war in every panel. The wasteland of the battlefield is haunting. Insurrection: Liberty has, at the heart of the book, one of the main tenets of comic books: the acceptance of difference in society. This isn’t a new concept, neither in the form of sequential stories or literature and movies. What is interesting is how Dan Abnett weaves this into the events and how it affects the different groups involved in the story. The way Dan closes out his story is very fitting, almost poetic in its nature.
