Revolver (DC Comics)
Encyclopedia
Revolver is an original graphic novel
created, written, and drawn by Matt Kindt
. It was published by DC Comics
' Vertigo imprint
in July 2010
.
It tells the story of Sam, a man who lives each day twice: first in a normal world, and then again in an alternate world which is falling apart. Sam must learn why the second universe exists, and choose which one to live in.
with Fight Club
.
It was first published in hardcover by the Vertigo
imprint
of DC Comics
in July, 2010
.
) is in a panic. Helping his boss, Jan, evacuate, the two are confronted by her ex-boyfriend. During a paniced scuffle, Sam kills the ex-boyfriend. He returns with Jan to his apartment, where they fall asleep. Sam wakes the next morning alone, and his injuries have vanished. He discovers it is the same day, and that the city is not under attack. He is certain what he remembers was not a dream.
Sam continues to live each day twice, alternating between the two worlds. In the chaotic one, he works with Jan and two other coworkers to produce a leaflet-style newspaper reporting the disasters. In the calmer one, he grows increasingly frustrated with how superficial his life is. He uses his time in the calmer world to learn skills that aid him in the more frantic one, such as hot-wiring a car. He and Jan become close in one world while remaining distant and unfriendly in the other. Meanwhile, Sam's relationship with his girlfriend Maria becomes sour.
The man suspected of being the mastermind of the bombings, P. K. Verve, is a motivational speaker in the calmer world. Suspecting a connection between Verve and the dual worlds, Sam seeks to meet the motivational speaker. He convinces the unfriendly Jan to finance his trip by blackmailing her with a confession she made in the chaotic world.
When Sam finally meets Verve, he learns that both of them are alternating worlds. Verve claims the two divergent worlds were created when his brother died in a government-arranged plane crash one day, and was alive the next. Verve has used his motivational speaking to travel and learn secrets which he then uses to commit terrorist acts as vengeance in the other. Hoping Sam will be his ally, Verve arranges for them to meet in the chaotic world.
Sam meets with the military, and takes a tracer with him to the meeting. After confirming he is with Verve, the military bombs the hideout, killing them both. Sam wakes in the calmer world, and stops entering the alternate one. He abandons his former lifestyle, and convinces Maria to leave town with him. They head for one of Verve's seminars, and Sam is planning to kill him.
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
created, written, and drawn by Matt Kindt
Matt Kindt
Matt Kindt is an American independent comic book artist and graphic designer.-Early life:Kindt was born in 1973 in St. Louis and currently resides in Webster Groves, Missouri. He worked in the local mini-comics scene from a young age, self-publishing his own copyshop zines since 1990. In 1995 he...
. It was published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
' Vertigo imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
in July 2010
2010 in comics
-Events:*February 18: Jim Lee and Dan DiDio were announced as the new Co-Publishers of DC Comics, both replacing Paul Levitz.-January:*January 3: Tibet dies at age 78...
.
It tells the story of Sam, a man who lives each day twice: first in a normal world, and then again in an alternate world which is falling apart. Sam must learn why the second universe exists, and choose which one to live in.
Publication history
Kindt credits the idea for Revolver to his fascination with the end of the world, and says he was looking to mix Groundhog DayGroundhog Day (film)
Groundhog Day is a 1993 American comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. It was written by Ramis and Danny Rubin, based on a story by Rubin....
with Fight Club
Fight Club (film)
Fight Club is a 1999 American film based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk. The film was directed by David Fincher and stars Edward Norton, Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter. Norton plays the unnamed protagonist, an "everyman" who is discontented with his white-collar job...
.
It was first published in hardcover by the Vertigo
Vertigo (comics)
Vertigo is an imprint of the American comic-book publisher DC Comics. Its books are marketed to a sophisticated audience, and may contain graphic violence, substance abuse, frank depictions of sexuality, profanity, and controversial subjects...
imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
of DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
in July, 2010
2010 in comics
-Events:*February 18: Jim Lee and Dan DiDio were announced as the new Co-Publishers of DC Comics, both replacing Paul Levitz.-January:*January 3: Tibet dies at age 78...
.
Plot
After a night out drinking, Sam wakes with a hangover. When he arrives at the newspaper office where he works, he discovers it has been bombed and the city (ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
) is in a panic. Helping his boss, Jan, evacuate, the two are confronted by her ex-boyfriend. During a paniced scuffle, Sam kills the ex-boyfriend. He returns with Jan to his apartment, where they fall asleep. Sam wakes the next morning alone, and his injuries have vanished. He discovers it is the same day, and that the city is not under attack. He is certain what he remembers was not a dream.
Sam continues to live each day twice, alternating between the two worlds. In the chaotic one, he works with Jan and two other coworkers to produce a leaflet-style newspaper reporting the disasters. In the calmer one, he grows increasingly frustrated with how superficial his life is. He uses his time in the calmer world to learn skills that aid him in the more frantic one, such as hot-wiring a car. He and Jan become close in one world while remaining distant and unfriendly in the other. Meanwhile, Sam's relationship with his girlfriend Maria becomes sour.
The man suspected of being the mastermind of the bombings, P. K. Verve, is a motivational speaker in the calmer world. Suspecting a connection between Verve and the dual worlds, Sam seeks to meet the motivational speaker. He convinces the unfriendly Jan to finance his trip by blackmailing her with a confession she made in the chaotic world.
When Sam finally meets Verve, he learns that both of them are alternating worlds. Verve claims the two divergent worlds were created when his brother died in a government-arranged plane crash one day, and was alive the next. Verve has used his motivational speaking to travel and learn secrets which he then uses to commit terrorist acts as vengeance in the other. Hoping Sam will be his ally, Verve arranges for them to meet in the chaotic world.
Sam meets with the military, and takes a tracer with him to the meeting. After confirming he is with Verve, the military bombs the hideout, killing them both. Sam wakes in the calmer world, and stops entering the alternate one. He abandons his former lifestyle, and convinces Maria to leave town with him. They head for one of Verve's seminars, and Sam is planning to kill him.