Boom Studios 2105
Written by Alex Paknadel
Illustrated by Eric Scott Pfeiffer
Lee Garner has been told by U.N. Secretary-General Binetti that the recent murder in Arcadia could only have been perpetrated by someone in the real world. He has also learned that he has a living counterpart. Samantha Garner has been kidnapped by the Arcadian authorities and informed that her memories were illegally used by her husband to create their son Giacomo.
Well I have no idea what to think of this but all I do know is that I’m utterly captivated and mesmerized by this book. The people of Arcadia are digitized versions of themselves and some have breaking the laws and we are seeing the ramifications of that. The tension between those left alive in the real world and those in Arcadia is growing steadily making the drama even more intense but I think what happens inside this virtual world is what’s really ultimately what’s kept me glued to the story.
Last issue we saw that Giacomo was an illegal creation here in Arcadia and the authorities swooped in and took him. We open this issue with that plot line going full steam ahead. Just like others we’ve seen in Arcadia Giacomo possess powers and abilities that defy reason or expectations. He’s a kid though and regardless if he’s born or created he’s been treated and raised like a young boy and he’s confused and scared and these people are treating him like a weapon. Sigh no matter what world we live in the government is the same and that’s a truly scary thought.
The budding mystery that is happening with Pepper and his counterpart in Arcadia is fantastic to see. Ah I love the complexity of what’s happening here that two men coexist in both worlds but at least one has no idea of the other and the authorities of course don’t believe him keeps us and them on their toes. Seeing his daughter in school however and the dialogue and discussion here is proving to be dangerous and exciting to me.
Valentin, Pepper’s new right hand man, is hiding more secrets than we’ve realized and we see a bit of that this issue and surprisingly it all ties in together nicely though how anyone is going to put the pieces together correctly is beyond me so that’s where the writing becomes even more important as we’ll see Alex’s skills and what he’s truly capable of.
Eric’s interiors are pretty intense to boot. That he isn’t differentiating styles between Arcadia and the Meat World, yes that would be ours, means you have to pay closer attention to what’s occurring in the story and i’m okay with that. I like the way his mind and his creativity bring this world to life and that he’s keeping the people as close to ordinary everyday people as he can while still maintaining that classic comic book feel.
Boom is taking full advantage of its ten year anniversary by putting out books that ensure it’s twenty year anniversary has a greater challenge to meet.