The idea of low fiction carries with it certain expectations. It evokes memories of crime and horror comics of old, where sensationalism and violence pushed the boundaries of what could possibly be the dark side of the human psyche. As such, morality was almost always at the forefront. Men and women with the means and will to take the lives of others, for personal reasons or what was deemed the greater good of society, were commonplace. This is a storytelling technique that lends itself well to genre mash-ups and combinations. In this respect, the combination of horror and crime thrived, like a devil worshipper and a bank robber making a handshake deal in a dark alleyway.
Writer and artist Gigi Murakami saw all this and thought she could do more with it. Her book Resenter is the result of that thought process: a pulp horror comic that feels like an unconventional, hard-boiled revenge tale told from a black woman’s perspective. The book doesn’t hide its influences, but subverts whatever it takes to let the story carve its own path.
Resenter begins with the murder of our protagonist, a black woman named Jackie Morrow. It’s a dark and ruthless case that quickly takes us to a place called the Death Zone, a kind of transitional space where she meets a Ripper named Leah. This being is a sort of avenging angel (though not a literal angel) that offers murdered people the chance to exact revenge by hunting down the killer on their behalf. But it’s not the only option the Ripper presents to potential clients, and one option in particular is very compelling.
Murakami Haruki’s blend of manga and pulp puts this story in a category of its own, as she successfully communicates the two styles in tone and pacing. Resenter is dialogue heavy and takes its time to establish the world and its rules. The first few pages alone give you plenty of plot, world building and character work. You’re quickly put inside Jackie’s head and get the gist of what her decisions mean going forward.
And yet the panels and character interactions move with the speed and force of a manga, allowing the dialogue to flow gracefully, making the reading experience extremely tense and every detail meaning so much, nothing is taken for granted and everything is imbued with a resonant sense of purpose.
The book is presented in black and white and uses ink heavily to great effect. Murakami incorporates his influences in a variety of ways. This is perhaps where the pulp comics combination is most clearly expressed. Jackie and Leah wear black trench coats and hats. This is the perfect excuse to use plenty of ink to capture the look of classic detectives and noir characters that have become iconic in pulp comics. However, they transform into something else entirely thanks to the supernatural elements that Murakami establishes early on. The Death Zone appears as a place of shady dealings, with the faces of distressed ghosts hiding behind a thick mist. It reminds me of the visuals you would see in a Junji Ito manga, all of which add depth and mystery to the horror aspect. Here, ink is used to create an ambiguous atmosphere regarding the Ripper’s presence. It builds character by fleshing out and shading the environment to match the proverbial greyness behind the conversations that take place there.
All of this is done to support the weight of the Ripper’s moral system. Murakami brings the moral dilemmas surrounding revenge and justice to the forefront of the story, allowing the reader to interrogate them through Jackie’s new relationship with the Ripper. The focus on violence against women makes the story more complex and the questions that arise throughout the story require more nuanced consideration. Jackie, as a black woman who must decide what her afterlife will be immediately after being murdered, launches a powerful discussion of the urgency behind these issues. It also lends itself to some fantastic and truly original horror sequences.
Murakami Jiji
Resenter is currently in issue #1, so now is the perfect time to add it to your reading list so you can start reading as soon as issue #2 is released. With this story, Jiji Murakami reminds us why mashing up genres and styles is so fun and unique. It’s important, necessary, challenging, and scary. Simply put, it’s worth reading and discussing.
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