Sci-fi series mixes brand loyalty and battles royale


Fans of graphic novels have read every plot imaginable. Radioactive mishaps are a yawn. Apocalypse is old hat. It’s time for some space gladiators.

The Reconcilers is a new graphic novel series published by Viking Warrior Press and created by the superstar team of Erik Jensen, R. Emery Bright and Jens Pil Pilegaard.

Bloodsport · In The Reconcilers, war has been replaced by gladiator-style combat, which decides diplomatic issues and also placates the masses from challenging those in power. - Design by Renee Cohn, photos courtesy of Prodigy PR

In addition to award-winning writer Jensen and two-time Eisner nominee artist Shepherd Hendrix, the legendary artist Neal Adams (of Batman and Green Lantern fame) contributes to the graphic novel by providing the cover art, additional character design and crucial consultation.

Taking place in the year 2165 A.D., the first issue follows the workers of a small mining outfit (Hansen Lunar Engineering) as they defend their claim to a large “Liberty Ore” deposit found deep beneath the Moon’s surface.

After the great Corporations Wars, the ruthless CEO Maximillian Sokor comes out as victorious and institutes a formalized Gladiator-style process, known as Reconciliation, to settle disputes — imagine Ender’s Game meets Gladiator meets Battle Royale.

Insulted by Sokor’s measly offer of 10 percent of the Liberty Ore’s net worth and upset by the death of her father Alex Hansen, the female protagonist, challenges Sokor’s proxies to full Reconciliation.

It is the classic underdog story of a ragtag group of working-class heroes matched up against the better-equipped and much more powerful Sokor Reconcilers. The Hansen team, however, does have one secret weapon: Sean Hexhammer, a widower and father turned unstoppable warrior.

In a world where corporations are the dominant political and economic force, people are no longer proud and patriotic members of their country, but rather die-hard fans of their favorite company.

The fight-to-the-death Reconciliation is televised for the world, functioning as an opiate for the masses and a means for maintaining power over society. Despite Reconciliation eliminating the need for war, Earth has already been reduced to wreckage from the Corporation Wars and people have lost all faith in their government and themselves.

Bright pointed out the double meaning of the graphic novel’s title.

“All of these characters have something to reconcile within themselves,” he said. “So the title and the process of reconciliation does not necessarily stop within the arena; it goes on internally as well.”

Jensen had his own thoughts on the topic of this kind of internal, moral reconciliation.

“How do we reconcile our massive consumption of energy with the lives that it costs to excavate it?” he asked.

Almost four years into development, the series is a labor of love from the creators. After the years of hard work, the first issue of The Reconcilers is now available for purchase online. It hits bookstores Dec. 8, with the second issue following in February.

In the backdrop of the book’s action, the roles of capitalism, corporatism and brand loyalty play major roles, permeating every aspect of the series.

Bright, affected by the presence of real-life corporate shadow forces during the Liberian coup d’état in the 1980s, became interested in exposing the impact that mega-corporations can have on the disenfranchised, especially in places that are rich in resources.

With The Reconcilers, Bright said that he wishes to show readers a world “where corporation can no longer be content with being shadow forces and start to open the operative sovereign entities, and we are starting to see that.”

Although it might sound dystopian, Jensen was quick to point out real-world versions of the science-fiction story.

“They have all the rights of an individual but none of the responsibility,” he said, something that he points out is supported by a January Supreme Court decision.

According to the decision, corporations can contribute money to elections, potentially allowing them unprecedented influence on candidate’s positions. With huge corporations allowed to financially participate in our electoral process, it seems a real possibility that this merging of business and politics could produce a reality where corporations control the world.

Jensen said he views comic books as an underused medium for telling the kind of stories he wants to share.

“We live in a culture with lots of dirty little secrets. Comic books are perfect for telling these stories,” Jensen said.

The creators’ focus, however, is not their politics. Rather, using their experience in film and television on shows such as The Wire and Law & Order, they concentrated on the development of their characters.

Each character stands out and becomes easily distinguishable to the reader, all the more important in a series with a large cast such as this one.

Jenson reiterated the writing team’s dedication to character development.

“As actors, we are always asking what is the character doing and why is he doing it,” he said. “A lot of our sessions are based solely on character … so they aren’t just two-dimensional blobs of color — they actually have some life in them.”

The writers and artists have an obvious passion for their project and it translates onto the comic page, creating colorful panels filled with clever dialogue.

Their intention to adapt and evolve with the times adds extra incentive to follow this series to the end.