Descender #31 Review

Writer: Jeff Lemire / Artist: Dustin Nguyen / Image In the second to last issue of Descender, humans, and machine-kind are in a frenzy to kill each other. The mutual hatred of each faction continues, and Tim-21 is the catalyst that both sides need to tip the scales in their favor. But he wants no part in this war. His motivations are rooted in trying to prove that robots and humans can coexist. One of my favorite things about this series has always been its dialogue on oppression and equality. And ultimately, what constitutes life. Because we live in a time where we’re reminded every day that we are still capable of treating people less than human. Descender shows us a possible future where we’ve seemingly moved past our disdain for one another, but we fill the void by applying that same energy to our own creations. Descender is in a way, a study of the idea that humanity could never exist without the urge to try to impose our power over others.

This issue explored a lot of characters going against their protocol. I thought it was pretty fitting to show characters outgrow their shells and do something for themselves instead of whatever faction they serve. Andy comes to terms with his Scrapper past in order to help his childhood friend. Tim-21 refuses to be used as a tool on either side of the war. And Tesla, the most tethered of them all, disobeys her father and helps Tim-21 escape. By having all of these characters make bold decisions, it pays off the arcs that they’ve been…