First Impressions Are Everything

I've read both volumes of Resurrection Man by now, the original and the nu52. Both of them had a common stumbling block for me. I was never interested in Mitch's search for his past.

That's not entirely accurate, since I was interested in things like where his powers came from, why his soul was so coveted, things like that. But Mitch seemed more interested in learning who he had been before his memory loss, and that didn't matter to me at all. I thought the first volume picked up significantly once Abnett and Lanning established Mitch had been a sleazy lawyer who got killed when he started to change his mind, because once they covered that, they could move on.

I'm not sure why I wasn't invested in those plotlines, but my guess is because I didn't think it mattered. Mitch kept learning he hadn't been a particularly nice fellow. A real bastard in the nu52, actually. Sort of. So what? By the time we learn that, we've had issues of him using his powers t help others. We can see he isn't like that any longer, and I already like. I'm not inclined to stop liking because of stuff he did some time in the past before we were introduced to the character. If regaining his memories has produced some demonstrable change in Mitch's behavior, it might have been different, but he typically processes the information, then goes on as he was before.

I'm also a sucker for redemption stories, so that may limit the impact of dark histories on me. Add it in, and I just retrofit his past heroic deeds to some idea of his subconscious trying to make up for things he doesn't remember doing.