IDW Publishing 2015
Created & Written by H.S. Tak
Illustrated by Amancay Nahuelpan
Coloured by Sebastian Cheng
This is a prime example of why I gave up reading Previews! I don’t want to know what’s coming out or someone else’s thoughts about it until I have a chance to read myself and either become excited it by it or have my hopes dashed it wasn’t as good as promised. Granted I do write reviews but I hope they inform you in order to decide to take a look at the book for yourself and see if it’s also something you will enjoy.
After reading this one I have to say it’s quite interesting and the premise and science involved makes for fascinating reading. Very quickly it seems that science has taken leaps and bounds and gone from fiction to fact in ways we wouldn’t have dreamed possible only a decade ago but here the blurred lines are only go to make you think more. I think the writing is creative and different and the references to pop culture very well implemented. It also draws the reader into the story extremely well kind of dummying the science for us “normal” people.
There’s a fair amount of intrigue and mystery surrounding the company that Jadas works for, which coincidentally his father founded. Kiln who now runs the company while impressed with the work he’s done thus far is ready to move on from animals to humans since genetic manipulation and grafting need to have practical human applications if the company is going to move forward and thrive in this new world. What’s the cost however in doing things this way, pushing the envelope and boundaries in order to make money without thinking about the ramifications of their actions?
Jadas is self medicating because of a myriad of reasons which you’ll have to read to understand but it all has deep rooting with his father. The mystery between him and his father only deepens as he tries to play god with a man’s DNA and genomes in the lab when the sentient AI Victor seems to have a glitch that indicates he remembered his father but cannot recall any details except Jadas reminds him of him. This is enough to spark interest and decisive action on a new course.
Jadas decides it’s time to learn more about his father and what happened to him and now things get weird. So now besides all the science and genetic stuff there’s the whole thing with Jadas and his father going on with Kiln in the center of it all but all we’re left with is questions and no answers so that means that we’ll need to come back again to see what’s really going on here. Also how does what they Kiln is doing at Genomyne Bioworks Inc. skirt the whole Declaration passed the United Nations in 2005?
So much going on here that’s fun, interesting, creepy and completely within the realm of the possible that it makes for great reading.
Plus as an added bonus the interior artwork is pretty darn impressive. Page layouts are well done and the use of panels and imagery really make an impact upon the reader. Plus the use of backgrounds and the pops of vivid colour when needed really make it more special and it doesn’t hurt that the people look normal, not overly muscular or too cartoony just your average well proportioned comic book style people with distinctive facial features.
I think this will be a strong limited series if this first issue is any indication and I look forward to seeing the story unfold completely.