Written by: Peter Bagge 
Art by: Peter Bagge
Letters by: Peter Bagge
Cover by: Peter Bagge
Published by: Dark Horse
Cover Price: $3.50 (USD)
Contains some minor plot based spoilers…
Lots of people would like to have the opportunity to relive certain aspects of their lives so that they could change things that went wrong. In Reset this opportunity is afforded to Guy Krause, a washed-up celebrity/comedian who is given the chance to try a new and experimental “game” that takes the user back to the start of their adulthood.
When Guy is introduced he is attending a court-ordered D.U.I/road rage class and it becomes clear quite quickly that he isn’t the most likeable of characters. He’s bad tempered and harsh and not especially funny (though there are funny moments in this issue).
What’s clever about Reset is that it sets Guy up in one way, but then opens the opportunity for a more sympathetic view of his character as his early adulthood is explored through the virtual reality machine.
Peter Bagge’s art is very reminiscent of underground or alternative comic art and it suits his characters well. There are moments of cartoonish exaggeration, but this is mixed with more realistic character portrayals and this helps to make the story more engaging. Bagge’s even changes his style further for the scenes that take place within the virtual reality machine, making them slightly blockier and changing the lettering also. Perhaps this will also alter once Guy becomes more comfortable with the process.
I’m intrigued by Reset as it is far more interesting and layered than I was expecting. Bagge’s has created a high-concept sci-fi comic, but has also filled it with the smaller details to enhance the story. The ending even suggests some darker aspects to the Reset machine, so despite Guy’s occasional annoyance, I’ll be back for the second issue.
8/10
