Keith Giffen's streak of confusing and inaccessible scripts continues here with a science-fiction premise that boasts plenty of potential but little clarity. I enjoyed the Syn story in Dark Horse's Free Comic Book Day 2 offering back in May, but this full issue left me scratching my head. Some of the confusion stems from the alien focus in the artwork, but I have to admit that Titus's vision of a future dominated by technology was rich in detail and eye-catching designs.
Hundreds of years in the future, mankind is little more than a distant memory, a footnote in history to a world ruled by artificially intelligent, technological life. Human values and genetic code are outlawed, and an unusually independent robot entity named Syn has been charged with the task of hunting down those mechanical creatures that embrace human history and artifacts as a counter-culture. The irony of the matter, though, is that Syn's individuality has sparked an interest in the very thing it's been assigned to eradicate.
I *think* that synopsis is representative of the story; it's not entirely clear, especially in the first half of the book. Giffen's script is too successful in conveying the alien culture and mindset of this computerized society. The lettering is a challenge as well. It's often not clear which narrative captions are associated with which characters, and I suspect that some of the problem arises from the possibility that one of the more dominant caption motifs/fonts belong to a character that doesn't appear in panel at all.
The big-eyed design for the title character enables it to stand out in a group of similarly designed robot characters. The reader may not know what Syn is doing or why, but at least s/he can spot the main protagonist. Titus's thick-lined and oddly organic style is definitely eye-catching, and it reminds me of Jason Pearson's artwork. There is an irksome element in the art, though, and that's the sole depiction of humanity being a shapely female form that's either naked or showing off a sexy thong for some unfathomable reason. This is not a story that calls for sex appeal, and its incorporation makes no sense in this context.
The strongest scene in the book is the exchange between the title character and its creation, Nina, an autonomous computer system/confidante. The banter is not only entertaining, but it serves as the only grounded element in the book and the only avenue of clear exposition. Giffen has imbued a strong personality in Nina, and despite the fact that her "body" is nothing more than a computer terminal, she's actually the strongest character in the book.
Note: This comic book was not among this week's new releases.
