Digitopia

Digitopia 1.0: 'Displaced Dreams'
Digitopia 2.0: 'Terror Star'

Written by: Farhan Qureshi
Artists: Sebastian Piriz/Tom Hoskisson
Colors and Lettering: Simon Robbins
Editor: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

Buy it HERE.

Looks Beautiful!

First of all, I think the colors and total packaging is very concise and elegant. They go all out on blending a rich selection of colors and compositions that set a mood. Occasionally a wild red panel will jut out but that's all for effect. Again, well done.

We're put into a crumbling and desolate landscape called 'Digitopia', which seems to draw from the 'Utopia' of Plato or St. Aquinas' teachings, namely a 'nowhere' world that is put together to examine a political theory or philosophical question about human nature. The word has come to mean a perfect world that can't be attained but only hoped for. 'Negative Utopia' (Orwell's 1984) came to mean any world that may be the by product of people not striving for an ideal, but to win at any cost.

What is a Digitopia? A digital Utopia? It remains to be seen...

 

 

There's the backdrop of Terrorism, which fits well in the bombed-out scenery and catastrophic environment they create. A little girl, literally born on the first page, quickly grasps the concepts of harsh survival and being quick with a rifle -even at the precious age of 6.

An older man is separated from the young man and his daughter/wife. He runs into the soldiers who police 'Digitopia'. There's a conflict.

Later, there's the acting Governor who wants to win the election. Also, a muck-raking news reporter who reports against the Terrorists.

Sounds good. Yet...

I really had a hard time pulling all these strings together as a reader. Digitopia is strongly concept-driven, with not a whole lot of story to follow. Farhan might have had a better story had he put together a more understandable sequence of events. As it is, there's a great deal of energy and attention put into 'touchstones' or 'symbols of power' in the form of Government officials and agents lurking in the background.

Digitopia is held back by this 'world building bug' that has gotten the creative team fully infected. That's something I wasn't expecting, given that the first three pages of Part 1.0 were so strong. Things quickly came unraveled as I was taken to scenes of the inevitable 'people in power' doing 'powerful behind the scenes stuff' that so many writers feel compelled to show.

Whenever Digitopia went back to Jay I felt more connected to the story. I felt I didn't have to work at it to understand it. Whenever he's not there it's a 'here we go' sensation of being driven to the back rooms again. Frustrating.

 

There's good concepts here.

The question about who's right in a Oppressor vs. Oppressed situation, and what's the difference between a 'Freedom Fighter' or 'Terrorist'? Blended into it of course from the Title is access to information in a high-tech society. Where Digitopia goes a bit astray is in forgetting to stay with compelling characters like Jay and tell a story first.

Next Tuesday:

Bringing down the hard-core retro 70s with Bolt Action by Tim Tyler and Rat House Books!

Read Mayfield Eight Part 1: Into the Rat Hole!

Calvin Ryder, a young fry cook agrees to go on a motorcycle road trip to celebrate his birthday. He runs into a Biker Gang: The Banshees!

Read Part One

Read Mayfield Eight Part 2: White Meat!

Trouble ensues for Calvin as his friend conducts a back- room drug deal. He didn't count on it taking place at The Banshee's headquarters!

Read Part Two

Mayfield Eight Part 3: Faster, Faster!

The Banshees are onto Calvin and out for revenge. He gets the help of a lone confederate: A woman named Angelina.

Read Part Three
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Buy Mayfield Eight Here:

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