The surrogates

In the future, everyone is a drone. Or at least, everyone has a "surrie" -- a surrogate body living up to their self-image. Everyone sees the world primarily through their surrogate's eyes, instead of living through their own bodies. Clearly a wry statement on online living and the burgeoning (in 2006) social media, the comic emphasizes lived relations and the social distance any technology may produce.

The story revolves around mysterious 'murders' of people's surrogates and Harvey Greer and Pete Ford are the detectives trying to stop the murders and find the killer. Significantly, the case is considered tantamount to murder instead of property damage and vandalism.

While the story works well enough and we are introduced to a variety of disturbing and interesting characters, I find myself far more drawn to the various perspectives and world views presented through the comic: should we live our lives less mediated than through surrogates?, what is the upswing of these android bodies?, and similar issues. More than any specific conclusion, I enjoy this form of speculation more than the flow of narrative. This is also the reason that I like the comic, the various permutations on a future not so unlike ours.

Only thing I will say upfront not so positive is that I had a bit of mixed feelings at the end, which I will not reveal because I think this book deserves to be read. And to be honest, an ending that does make you think a bit is a good thing. It certainly is something you do not get often when you think of graphic novels and comics. So, that out of the way, let's look at the rest of the book.

The book is a nice blend of a police procedural/mystery and science fiction. In a world where humans now have the option to live their lives via mechanical surrogates, people do not have to leave their homes and worry about anything. But they can still go to work, so on. The authors did excellent work thinking about the implications of such a society, and they really do an excellent work bringing it to life. In this world, there is a terrorist that destroys surrogates in a quest to make the world go back to living a real life. The protagonist is the detective tasked with stopping him. Among the suspects is a cult leader who leads a faction that sees surrogates as aberrations. This all has the makings of a very good story, and the authors do deliver on that front.

The art is not too realistic, but the style matches the gritty, kind of noir setting the authors wish to evoke. It does feel right in relation to the story. In addition, the book has textual materials (news articles, a brochure for surrogates, so on) that add to the authenticity of the story. I will warn that if you are more of a visual reader, taking the time to read some of these extras found at the end of each chapter can slow your reading pace a bit. But I think readers will find some of the materials interesting. Additionally, this particular edition has a series of extras after the story: a deleted scene, author commentary, so on. If you like knowing how a comic is crafted, you may enjoy reading through this part.

This is the comic series that gave basis to the recent The Surrogates film. I have not seen it, but knowing Hollywood, I have a feeling they probably mucked it up. But being curious, I will likely watch it if I get a chance. Overall, this is one of the best graphic novels I have read so far this year. It has a good story, depth, good art, and good science fiction.