Ellis's exploration of urban subculture, technology's influence on society and the inevitable human drive to corrupt continues this month, and the second issue proves to be much stronger than the first. Ellis offers up a perceptive sociological examination of who we are, and despite the sci-fi trappings, it's surprisingly believable. Rolston's expressive, inventive artwork brings the future alive, but also demonstrates that it's really not all that far off or alien.
Sarissa Leon has returned to her city, looking to find out who killed her lover, R.J. INstead, she discovers that the movement she inspired -- Mek, technological enhancement of the human body as a social statement -- has evolved into something illegal and dangerous. Bad Mek is running rampant, and it has something to do with her lover's death. She suspects it was the work of someone from the outside, someone who has perverted her vision, but the answer proves to be much more horrifying than she ever suspected.
Rolston's wide-eyed style makes for some thoroughly expressive characters. The shifts between the scenes set in the "present" and the flashbacks are subtle but clear, and they reinforce how quickly circumstances in Sarissa's life have changed. The colors are appropriately dark, reinforcing the mature mood of the story. Gordon's inks are not intrusive or overwhelming; Rolston's style shines through clearly. Still, I've found that when Rolston inks his work -- as was the case on Queen & Country and Pounded -- his linework is sharper a little more detailer. Gordon's inks bring a slightly softer quality that's not in keeping with the quietly harsh tone of the tale.
Ellis has brought mainstream culture's embracing of communications technology together with the underground appeal of body modification, and he extrapolates on the possibilities to come. The character designs and Mek ideas are dynamic and imaginative, but it's the story's social science, not the science fiction, that challenges and excites the reader. Ellis shows us that the world, mankind and what we can create can all be beautiful things, but that somehow, we manage to twist and pervert that potential for beauty into something dark and dangerous.
But really makes the story work is the emotion behind the concept. This is about Sarissa's guilt and her sense of betrayal. She feels betrayed by a subculture she created, and by the issue's end, she feels betrayed by a friend. But ultimately, she feels she betrayed her lover by leaving him behind. It makes for some powerful, character-driven storytelling.
