Testament

(Vertigo, 2006-2008)
™ and ©2006 Douglas Rushkoff and Liam Sharp

Sometime in the future, a system used to tag soldiers and keep track of them in the field is expanded to include draft age citizens. Now it’s no longer a choice of “moving to Canada to evade the draft” but do you allow a chip to be implanted under your skin so you and your family can still keep their jobs, buy food, or sell products. What would people do under such a system and why does it sound so familiar? Testament follows the journey of grad student Jake Stern as he makes his way through a world made possible by his own father.

Award winning author Douglas Rushkoff believes the Bible to be a template for life. If you look closely enough, the themes it brings to us can be found in our “modern” life as well. By understanding that events which occurred during the days of Abraham and Isaac are just as real and meaningful as events happening in your home town today, the narrative and power of the Book of Books suddenly becomes much more meaningful and relevant to our lives today.

— Ron Black

From the Comics Buyer’s Guide:

Set ever so slightly in a future America that appears to be at war with the world, we follow graduate student Jake Stern, who’s part of an underground draft-resistance movement that uses extreme, unusual methods to fight back against the government. Meanwhile, there’s something sinister at work behind the scenes, as it looks as if ancient stories are starting to be acted out in modern dress.

In #2, the conflict comes to a head and the story of Sodom and Gomorrah is retold. While I must admit I was more than a little lost trying to connect the divergent story “tracks” in the first issue with the second issue, it’s clear novelist Douglas Rushkoff has created the most assured and original project to emerge from Vertigo since Sandman.

It’s nothing short of amazing that something this innovative and good has (so far) mostly slid under the radar of critical appreciation. But readers should be forewarned: This is rich in sex, violence, and political and religious commentary sure to make at least some unhappy.

— S. A. Bennett

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