Livewires is something that the comics industry could use a lot more: new and fun. This is absolutely the kind of thing up Adam Warren's alley, like a blend of Japanese mecha concepts and American superheroes, with one foot in the Marvel Universe of the past and both eyes on the future. Crazy fun robotics nonsense and pseudo-science, exciting action and interesting, off-beat characters combine with terrific artwork from Mays and Martin to form something fresh and very entertaining. What's nice is that while the surface elements are fun, it's also clear that Warren has more of a story in mind, with the many hints about "The Real A.I.M." hinting at a secret agenda or benefactor and a few other hints that maybe Stem Cell isn't quite as lacking in purpose as the others believe her to be.
As with the first issue of Livewires, this is part action story, part exposition, but Warren carries the blend off well. Having a point of view character isn't a wholly new idea, but Stem Cell's complete amazement (and sheer terror) at what she's been dropped into gives the whole thing a slightly more manic and comedic edge, and there's an interesting balance here between poking fun at the pseudo-science of the Marvel Universe's robots of the past and playing them seriously enough that the whole book doesn't become a joke. I was particularly impressed that Warren delves into '70s era Marvel tech like Life Model Decoys as well as fairly obscure '90s tech like the Mannites to inform his creation of Livewires. This is a concept that could work outside the Marvel Universe, but Warren has modified it to tie it directly into the universe while retaining its spirit of originality.
In the pages of Livewires, Warren, Mays and Martin also seem to have hit upon a concept similar to that used in The Intimates, providing the sort of MTV information overload in comic book form. However, where the Intimates' captions can seem either extraneous or intrusive, the incorporation of multiple information streams in Livewires is a clear visual and also makes perfect sense, given that we're seeing this from the point of view of multi-tasking robots. That multi-tasking sensibility is seen throughout the series, as the 'bots seem to switch conversations midstream and hold several different topics at once, but they do so in a way that isn't confusing to the reader.
Of course, while the ideas that drive Livewires are cool and original, what really sells the book for me is something that is more common, and that's good characterization. Warren gives these characters very distinctive and interesting personalities, and just seeing them interact is half the fun of the book. Stem Cell's rapid fire narration conveys both her intelligence and her nervous energy, brought on by her new surroundings. The revelation about her thoughts near the end of the book is very funny, and gives the reader a reason to re-read, and there are terrific moments here for most of the other members of the team, including Gothic Lolita's action stunt at the end or the amusing threat that Hollowpoint Ninja leaves at his assignment.
Warren's inventive writing is no small part of what I enjoy about the book, but one shouldn't underestimate the importance of Mays and Martin on art. The opening sequence, which sees Cornfed rebuilding Social Butterfly's legs, is gross, but it's also compelling and different. The sense of speed and height in Gothic Lolita's assignment is very important, and the power of Hollowpoint Ninja's weapon is also conveyed in large part through the visuals. In addition, the aforementioned information overload, particularly in a scene where we see Stem Cell through Social Butterfly's eyes, is a tricky balancing act between looking complex and actually being so complex that you can't read it, and Mays and Martin (with Warren on layouts) hit it perfectly. 9/10
