Resistance (comics)

Resistance is a comic book limited series published by Wildstorm, based on the Resistance video game series. It is written by Mike Costa, with art by Ramón Pérez,^[1] with the prequel being written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, with pencils by C.P. Smith. The series is unrelated to and should not be confused with the earlier similarly named Wildstorm series The Resistance.

Summary

Resistance is a six-issue mini-series, beginning in January 2009. The series features different aspects of humanity's war with the Chimera; detailing certain characters' histories and other activities in the war effort. It also includes prologues to significant events in the game's history (e.g. the preview issue details the early history of Private Jordan Adam Shepherd, the seemingly innocent soldier who volunteered to be a test subject in Project Abraham, and, due to the machinations of Doctor Fyodor Malikov, would transform into "Daedalus"; the Leader of the Chimera).

Publication history

• Issue #0/Resistance2: Released with Collector's Edition of the Resistance 2 video game.
• Issue #1: January 14, 2009.
• Issue #2: January 28, 2009.
• Issue #3: February 25, 2009.
• Issue #4: March 25, 2009.
• Issue #5: April 29, 2009.
• Issue #6: May 27, 2009.
• Graphic Novel(Issues 0-6): February 9, 2010.

Plot

Issue #0

The background story of U.S. Army Private Jordan Adam Shepherd; the soldier who would eventually become "Daedalus"; the Leader of the Chimera, is revealed. In a long series of flashbacks; it details Shepherd's childhood consumed by his father's abuse, alcoholism and religious fervor, the latter of which is passed on to Jordan, along with his father's extreme temper; which Jordan was horrified to find he possessed when, consumed with paranoia on how close his wife was becoming with a neighbor following her miscarriage, Jordan murdered the neighbor. Consumed with guilt and desperate to do the right thing; Shepherd would join the U.S. Army and eventually volunteer for Project Abraham; where Shepherd fails to mention his immune system was compromised during his childhood after wandering into a chemical testing zone in the everglades surrounding the house he shared with his father, and so when injected (according to SRPA Doctor Ortiz), it caused a "world of problems". Confined to the SRPA's Project Abraham Compound; Shepherd suddenly uses his new-found psychokinetic powers to mentally attack Ortiz and other doctors present (for Ortiz's constant berating was too much for him to stand). Shepherd is overpowered and sedated by an SRPA panic team; though as the comic ends, it is revealed what the "world of problems" are: Shepherd's entire lower body, in response to the injection's side-effects on his compromised biology, has expanded and transformed; heralding his transformation into "Daedalus".

Issue #1

The U.S.'s largest military base in the world; Fort Anchorage in Alaska, has been captured by the Chimera. Efforts to drive back the invaders fail, the government keeps the news a complete secret, and acts to formally activate the Sentinel Program; having been previously training-based, for the first time. The first team of trained Sentinel soldiers immunized, to a certain degree (several visual symptoms of the virus are seen on the soldiers) to the Chimera virus, is activated as "Sentinel Team Alpha" (which happens to include Joseph Capelli and Benjamin Warner; who are feature as "Sentinel Team Echo" members in Resistance 2 under Lt. Nathan Hale's command). The team is briefed on its first mission (dubbed the "maiden voyage of the Sentinel Program"); they will be taken to Alaska for insertion, surgically enter the base, rescue key surviving personnel and certain materials, and then rendezvous with an air-evac; and they are not to directly engage the enemy. The officer briefing them is asked why a larger force, or other divisions capable of keeping secrets, isn't used instead of the Sentinels; a clandestine unit. The officer answers there is something in the base so top secret only the Sentinels can be sent; the Chimera have captured America's first atomic bomb.

A side-story is included focused on James Grayson (the protagonist of Resistance: Retribution) and details his early history with his beloved brother; Johnny. In his childhood; the world was a peaceful and blissful place, but this changed when the Chimera came. James' father was re-commissioned as an officer to fight in the war, and Johnny also joined the war as a pilot, with James not far behind. James' father was killed in combat, the devastation of which made James realize his father's example wasn't his own, and so James quits the R.A.F. to live his own life, and gradually a rift forms between the two brothers when Johnny tries and fails to effectively replace their father. Life was bad for James; unemployed at a time England was suffering with decreasing morale (with "monsters" besieging Europe and the Americans refusing to help) and desperate supply shortages. One evening, Johnny and James get into an argument, where Johnny insists James no longer go into the cities; having heard from his friends the city will soon be locked down by the military, and so at least one of them must remain to take care of their mother. James angrily retorts that Johnny doesn't really care about his safety or their mother, but instead cares more about appearing like a hero. Johnny, however, counters that James doesn't really understand what's going on in Europe; they are losing control (as every man is needed; to the point their forces in India were called back to shore up England's defenses; and India was totally overrun as a result). Feeling Johnny is trying to control him; James runs away from home. A few days later, Johnny is called up to fight the war in Europe and, with his father dead and his mother being taken care of by the R.A.F. for the rest of her life, James found a new family in that of a street gang.

Issue #2

Sentinel Team Alpha is on a ship en route to their first mission, and the Sentinels all feel connected by the deep connection shared by being infected with the Chimera virus, and despite their bickering, they get along well. Suddenly, the ship is attacked by a massive water-based Chimera monster, and Team Alpha hurriedly equips and prepares themselves and makes a desperate attempt to fight it back alongside the ship's crew. The efforts fail, and the order is given to abandon ship, though only Team Alpha and a sole-remaining sailor makes it to shore as the monster pulls the ship under with all hands aboard. Intact and relatively armed, Team Alpha, determining they are only 40 miles away from the base, decide to march, though the sailor quickly suffers from frostbite (unlike the enhanced soldiers). Suddenly, one of the Sentinels is shot dead, and his comrades take cover. The Chimera creature in question can make itself invisible; and so is able to kill the sailor, though Capelli takes charge of the team and outmaneuvers and knives the creature to death. The team then moves onward, leaving the body of their dead comrade behind.

The side-story on James Grayson continues; the war has advanced to France, with Johnny and his R.A.F. squadron fighting them back. James naturally couldn't imagine what his brother saw and did, but naturally knows it must have been horrible. While volunteering for a high-risk mission, Johnny's plane goes down over Berlin; the news of which devastates their mother though nevertheless gives her a sense of pride for Johnny's heroic demise. This makes James think about what he has been doing and, consumed with shame, decided to rejoin the military a week later (when France fell to the Chimera); while the R.A.F. wouldn't take him back, the Royal Marine Commandos (who were taking anyone) accepted James and he was commissioned as a Private and plans to join the war. One evening, James' criminal past catches up with him when his old gang finds him in a deserted London street, and pressure him not to leave their gang (which involves small-time thieving; of which James was apparently very good at). James naturally no longer finds this life appealing; and fights his old gang until several policemen arrive. Recognizing James' authority; the policemen immediately arrest the gang, and James leaves his old life behind to join the war.

Issue #3

The issue picks up with the Sentinel team making it to the Alaskan base that is housing the atomic bomb and finding that the hangar doors are open. They enter into the hangar, only to find a giant Grims nest. As they make their way into the base, they find Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer who reveals that he survived by staying in a bunker which was also used as a lab for the researchers making the atomic bomb, and that the Chimera invaded the base for the weapon. After four days he left the bunker to search for food and found the base mostly empty, but soon discovered the Grims' nest in the hangar. He then entered a nearby lab to make an acid to kill the cocoons. He does not finish his story, as a Grim runs into the room and leaps upon him. The soldiers try to get the Grim off him as they may hit the doctor with a stray bullet if they try to shoot the Grim. One of the Sentinels pulls a gun out and sticks it in the Grim's mouth, making short work of it. The doctor then says that it must be too late and that all the Grims have hatched.

In the issue's side-story, it begins with Johnny Grayson and his gunner crash-landing, after which Johnny pulls his gunner away from the crash site and later sets up camp. After the gunner awakes they continue moving to avoid the Chimera, and soon find a group of survivors who explain to them that they are heading deeper into Chimera-controlled territory. Johnny eventually becomes their leader. Weeks later there are complaints of freezing because of Johnny's "no fire rule" which is to avoid detection from the Chimera. Some of the group start a fire causing Johnny to run out and yell at them to put it out, in which they refuse to do. Soon after this, a Chimeran patrol finds them, killing most of the group. Johnny then tells the survivors to run and set fire to the woods behind them to both cover their tracks and slowdown the Chimera. The story then focuses back to James Grayson's point of view. He is in basic training and getting yelled at by his sergeant. James is eventually sent to guard the camp for a week, during which he says to himself how he's lost his family and his friends, and that maybe all hope is lost.

Issue #4

Following the death of the Grim that attacked Dr. Oppenheimer, the panic doctor tells the Sentinels to barricade the door but they refuse, explaining that it may hold them off but not for long. There is nowhere to go and they decide that they are better off making a run for it. They then dash into the hallway running and shooting at the same time, but there are too many and a Grim leaps into the air and bites the doctor, they quickly kill the Grim. Since the doctor is wounded and they are not far from an exit and they grab him and run. They soon make it outside and lock the door. Later the group found their way into the cafeteria and barricaded it. It was then used as a command center and had a break each hour while recovering, Oppenheimer talks to Capelli and asks him why does he fight at first. Capelli replies is to protect Earth from these "monsters" and he asks again why: "there are men who afraid and full of pain you are full pain and hate". Capelli then explains how he was in Project Abraham and remembers two men, one named Hale and the other Shepherd. When he tried to sleep he had visions and saw the Chimera killing everyone and simply does not wish it to come true. The Sentinels come up with a plan of running into the hangars, which was crazy at first, and planned on used the gas veins which made them all run out where Capelli armed with a minigun started killing all who ran out.

In the side-story, Johnny Grayson managed to get the survivors to Dunkirk without any more deaths where he yells at the guards for not letting them in. More guards start appearing to Johnny's yells and one asks his name, and immediately recognize him as Johnny was well known, and was allowed in. Johnny went to find who's in charge and then meet Roland Mallery who informed Johnny that the Chimera are digging under the English Channel. Meanwhile, from James Grayson's point of view, more of his personal background are revealed: having failed to go to his graduation due to being "pissed" and dumped by his girlfriend. The next day he reported for duty and with a terrible hangover and meet his commanding officer, Cartwright, and was placed under patrol. After thinking how dull it was for having this duty as suddenly Hybrids started to come from holes in the ground.

Issue #5

The issue begins with Capelli taking cover from Titan fire as two other Sentinel soldiers run into the hangar where the bomb is, but only to find another Titan guarding it. One of the soldiers runs up to the Titan and stabs it in the groin, and then throws a grenade into its mouth. The group then attempts to disarm the bomb while the instructions written on paper start to evaporate from the gas. As Capelli tries to find a place to retreat his comrade, Waldron, provides some covering fire before being killed by a Titan. After Waldron's death, Capelli gives the order to rescue Doctor Oppenheimer. While Capelli finds a safe place, the rest of his squad saves the doctor. Capelli then rams a wall down with a tank and orders the rest of the Sentinels to bring the bomb onto the tank in order for Oppenheimer to defuse it. They then notice a Chimera battleship heading their way.

In the side-story, British forces are shown fighting a losing battle with the Chimera, while in another scene Johnny Grayson is flying back to England. While on the plane Johnny meets Rachel Parker, whom he often saw at the base but never spoke with her before. He told Parker that if she wanted a report about the Chimeras' Earth Movers he did a fine job of killing endless waves of Chimera. Later Johnny speaks with James, who is in a hospital because of his leg, telling him to stop messing around, as he knew James would frequently disobey orders and endanger the lives of other soldiers. Johnny further mentions that he had seen James' boot camp file and was starting to lose faith in him. James replied coldly, saying that Johnny left both him and his mother, and that they are done talking. James begins to think about how badly the war in Europe has gone, and that if London falls then the end is near.

Issue #6

Capelli sits in an interrogation room at the base, and is approached by an unnamed and irated SRPA official, who tells Capelli to tell him what happened up in Alaska.

Capelli tells his story - he and the remaining members of Sentinel Team Alpha get in the tank as the Chimeran battleship bears down on them. The vibrations stop and the four men get out and find the tank has been accidentally scooped up by the ship - the Sentinels are trapped on the Chimera battleship, which Capelli senses is banking around and heading back to Europe. Leavitt takes the lead, coming up with the idea to blast a hole in the ship's hull and throw the nuclear bomb into the ocean off the coast of Alaska when the ship reaches it in 10 minutes time, justifying that it must be kept out of Chimera's possession. Before more is said, wave after wave of Chimera forces attack and Alpha Team, running low on ammo, have to make their shots count. Using aid from the tank and getting weapons off of dead Chimeran Hybrids, Alpha Team is able to hold their ground as the entire ship's complement comes down on them.

The scene goes back to the present, where the official notes Alpha Team still had a plan, courtesy of Leavitt, and if it had been completed, it would have allowed the possibility of salvage by SRPA, and thus, with the bomb back, the mission would have been accomplished. Capelli confirms this is true, going so far as to note Alpha Team expended the last of their artillery rounds firing at the hull to breach it. The official casually notes this and then pointedly asks what happened then.

The story continues - after the hull is breached, Murphy gets out of the tank and orders Capelli into the tank to man the tank's gun, while Murphy goes to make sure the bomb is secure. Capelli, in the middle of combat, says he is needed out there and counters Murphy can engage the tank and so Alpha Team can bulldoze the bomb out the side. Murphy states they have to make sure it's defused before it drops, and because he is the only one who knows how to do it. Above the carnage, Murphy yells for Capelli to, for once in his life, stop questioning him and do something Murphy asks. Capelli, reluctantly, complies...only to notice Warner and Leavitt arrive in the tank as well. Leavitt says that Murphy told them to fall back to the tank. Capelli, naturally, asks why the hell would he say that as, now, no one is covering him. Suddenly, Oppenheimer, now conscious and with a strange smile on his face, activates the tank's engines. Before Alpha Team can stop him, the tank falls out the side and off the ship.

The scene goes back to the present, the official, looking sympathetic and moved by what he is hearing, listens as Capelli sadly says Alpha Team later guessed that Murphy, who knew if the team performed Leavitt's plan no one would have made it home, so he did the only thing he could think of - Murphy decided to sacrifice himself to make sure the Chimera didn't get the bomb, and the team got home. Murphy must have used a syringe to give Oppenheimer a transfusion of his own blood, which for a normal human would be like taking a hit of pure adrenalin. It would kill him within 10 minutes, but Murphy possibly figured he wasn't going to survive much longer anyway, and he needed him awake. Because the ship was only 5,000 feet off the ground, and Murphy knew as long as the tank stayed in one piece, the team, possessing Sentinel regenerative powers, was only rendered unconscious after they crashed onto the snowy ground. Oppenheimer, however, died in the fall. 20 or 30 minutes later, Alpha Team regained consciousness and saw "it" from about 50 miles away - the bomb detonating and completely destroying the ship in a fiery explosion, with Murphy still aboard. Alpha Team was picked up 17 hours later by a submarine that SRPA had sent to investigate the blast. Capelli finishes by stating, truly touched and lost for words, his belief Murphy was a hero and, if SRPA hadn't erased all their names from the record, Capelli would be recommending him for the Medal of Honor.

The official, however, dismisses the story as it has a problem - Murphy (who he addresses as a "hero" in a sarcastic tone) destroyed the bomb: the very object SRPA sent Alpha Team to recover, and his actions consequently led to the death of Oppenheimer: one of the only men who knows how to build another one. The official, raising his voice with every word - and Capelli himself getting madder and madder, believes its clear Leavitt was the only one up there who had any clue how to handle the mission, and Murphy and Capelli, outranking him and botched it, and so the official can hardly believe Capelli's talking about medals - the official saying medals aren't given to those who screw up on missions. The official finishes by calling Murphy a disgrace, and so is Capelli...only to be punched in the face by Capelli before he can finish speaking.

Capelli stands over the official and, disagreeing with his assessment of Murphy being a disgrace, angrily states the bomb destroyed the Ice-Bridge and irradiated the entire area, making it impossible to cross over from Russia by land, and so Murphy saved every man, woman and child in the United States. The official responds by declaring Capelli is "done": he is heading to the brig, and he won't come out until SRPA is ready to drop him "right into the asshole of the Chimeran War Machine". The official finishes by stating that "the next washout on a suicide mission is you pal".

As Capelli is led away, in handcuffs, by a guard, Major Welles and a higher-ranking officer look on, having heard every word. The officer asks Welles what he thinks, and Welles thinks the mission was a disaster, a failure of leadership more than anything. Welles, however, notes Leavit "seems promising" (hinting how he became an officer and leader of Echo Squad in the Intel documents of Resistance 2 before his own death). Also, more recruits coming up through Project Abraham will allow SRPA to specialize with teams. Welles is sure SRPA can find a place, even for Capelli. An unnamed private then arrives and says there's one last thing - they were going through Capelli's effects when they found his letter addressed to "Sarah". It is a total breach of protocol, so SRPA looked through his file and can't find a single woman with that name is his past, but the private knows that some of the men who were more "familiar" with "Cassie (Cassie Aklin)". Welles cuts off the private and says that will be all about the subject - explaining to the confused lad that SRPA has taken just about everything they can from the Sentinels, and killed almost everything that makes them human because "we need monsters now", but, they can leave this grave from Capelli's past undisturbed as Capelli deserves to mourn his humanity in his own way. Welles finishes by saying "Because I look to the future...and I don't see much humanity left". The last scene in the story shows Capelli languishing behind bars, the scars on his face caused by the virus can clearly be seen.

The side-story on James Grayson comes to an end; Johnny was shot down again, and, with his entire squad wiped out. James, meanwhile, was stuck in England on Cartwright's bad side. Cartwright, however, tells James that things have actually gotten so dire he is being sent back into combat, rather than the brig. James thanks Cartwright, saying he is ready to return to the front. Cartwright, however, is not desperate enough for a promotion to make a decision that stupid. Cartwright says he won't trust James being at the front again. James, instead, will be going behind the lines, leading a squad to clean out conversion centers. James is dismissed from the meeting, but as he walks away, Cartwright stops him by saying that he is sorry to hear about his brother. Acknowledging his words, James leaves.

James narrates about what he and the squad did - the squad's purpose was horrifying, as, while seeing people turn into Chimera was terrible, and the other soldiers the squad met up with were near-consumed by death, all the humanity in them being leached out of them one way or another. There were those that truly became monsters worse than Chimera, with one soldier James clearly remembers, but he dismisses that as "another story".

After a month, James, believing himself numb to the horror when, while on another mission in another conversion center, casually walks up to a gathering of soldiers in the last room, asking if they are finished up in there so they can set the charges, destroy the facility, and move on. The soldier he addresses; Diggle, however, hesitantly said to James that he can't go in there. James pushes Diggle aside and enters, anticipating one of the soldiers has set the fuse wrong again, and moves to only see Johnny, who is no longer human, lying on a slab which is why the other soldiers didn't want James to see. The soldiers offer to take care of Johnny themselves while James leaves, but he instead orders one of them to hand over a gun, which James uses to execute Johnny.

Johnny is buried outside by the squad, with James saying to himself over and over what was lying on the slab wasn't his brother. Nevertheless, James says goodbye to Johnny, more for James himself as he knows Johnny can't hear him, as a way to say goodbye to Johnny, England, to the life he had as its a broken world now, and needs himself to be a better man for it. James moves to leave, taking Johnny's jacket with it. James looks at the Chimera skull & cross-bones emblem on Johnny's jacket, and declares he will never forget (thus the stage is set for "Resistance: Retribution").

Notes

References