After Twilight

Bookish Jen Frazier seems an unlikely choice to be a freedom fighter, but when a theocratic new order occupies the state of Texas, Jen is pushed into action carrying contraband for the underground. A surprise raid by the religious police shows Jen just how dangerous it can be to fight a state with 'God on its side.'

Enter a dystopian Texas in the near future, completely overrun by religious policing, and you have the setting for After Twilight.  If you’ve ever seen V for Vendetta, you’ll have a good idea of how frightening it is to live in this theocratic state fighting a war with the United States.  For those that haven’t though, the great story and vivid artwork will sufficiently paint a picture for you in this thrilling series.

The team of writers that came to together to build this terrifying world did their job well in these books.  Probably what makes it so scary is how believable it is with the kind of extremist activity present today, albeit not quite to that extent.  The story is pretty straightforward, making it easy for readers to follow.  Even with it being a fairly short run, the series does try to give enough background on the main characters to connect with them.

The art throughout the series truly succeeds in helping the reader experience the anxiety of living in the Lone Star state.  Effective, but not overused, scenes portraying the violent measures taken upon the citizens really drive home the sense of dread.  With no offense to the coloring efforts of the pencil artist in issue 1, the addition of separate colorists for the remainder of the series was appreciated.

Although it is a primary theme in the books, the religious overtones shouldn’t turn away those with different views.  Even so, those that are deeply rooted in a particular stance should know to keep an open mind before reading.

I was overall generally pleased with the story that was compacted into just 6 issues.  I’m an easy pushover for these kinds of tales anyways, but it proves to be a decent read even if you may not be big on the genre.  With that said, I think this is a series most folks would enjoy if they grab it for a light day of reading.

For more information on the After Twilight comics or other content, check out After Twilight Comics.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.