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“Crowded” #1

By | August 17th, 2018
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

Predicting the future is a tricky thing. If you allow yourself to become too rooted in the present moment, you lose the chance to say something universal. That’s the tricky line walked by “Crowded.” A comic about Kickstarter and Uber and Tinder runs the risk of instantly dating itself. Fortunately, “Crowded” is about more than apps. The challenges it faces down have more to do with character and structure- because it absolutely nails the 5-minutes-into-the-future setting.

Cover by Ro Stein

Written by Christopher Sebela
Illustrated by Ro Stein
Inked by Ted Brandt
Colored by Triona Farrell
Lettered by  Cardinal Rae

SERIES PREMIERE Ten minutes in the future, the world runs on an economy of job shares and apps, including Reapr: a crowdfunding platform to fund assassinations. Charlie Ellison leads a quiet, normal life until she’s suddenly targeted by a million-dollar Reapr campaign. Hunted by all of Los Angeles, Charlie hires Vita, the lowest-rated bodyguard on the Dfend app. As the campaign picks up speed, they’ll have to figure out who wants Charlie dead before the campaign’s 30 days—or their lives—are over. From Eisner-nominated writer CHRISTOPHER SEBELA (Heartthrob, We(l)come Back, Harley Quinn), RO STEIN & TED BRANDT (Captain Marvel, Raven: The Pirate Princess), TRIONA FARRELL (Runaways, Mech Cadet Yu), and CARDINAL RAE (BINGO LOVE, ROSE). COMPARISON TITLES If the near-future implications of social media and technology in Semahn and Corona’s NO. 1 WITH A BULLET had you on the edge of your seat, you’ll love CROWDED.

When “Crowded” begins, Charlie has a bounty on her head. A big one. 2,249 backers have contributed over a million dollars towards a REAPR campaign on her life. The thing is, Charlie hasn’t done any one thing wrong. Sure she’s kind of an everyday jerk, but that’s a whole lot of people and a whole lot of money being put towards her death. So she hires Vita, the worst rated bodyguard on the DFEND app. If Vita can protect Charlie for one month, the campaign expires and everyone can go back to their regularly scheduled lives.

Making that sort of world believable is a tall order, but Christopher Sebela and Ro Stein nail it. It’s not just a story about a couple of apps, it’s a full satire where everything plays into the joke. It’s our world turned slightly crooked, but still very recognizable. The first scene takes place in an Automac, a totally automated fast food restaurant. I know my local McDonald’s just installed digital kiosks to place your order on, so this feels especially prescient. Charlie herself works a minimum of twelve gigs a day, as a driver, an errand runner, a dog-walker, a babysitter, a tutor, and as a buddy to lonely old people. I know people who have worked literally all of these jobs.

The exaggeration in the satire doesn’t even do it justice. In trying to look absurd, “Crowded” just proves the absurdity of the real world. Have you flown through Laguardia Airport recently? There’s a whole crazy new parking lot devoted to ride apps. This comic is supposed to represent the world in the not-too-distant future, but it accidentally ended up being about the recent past.

The art team of Ro Stein along with inks by Ted Brandt and gorgeous colors by Triona Farrell do a lot to set the tone of the book. Charlie is pink. She’s got fluorescent pink hair and expensive pink outfits. Vita is yellow. She’s got a jacket that’s lifted right out of the Kill Bill wardrobe. The entire comic is infused with constant sexiness, but never feels exploitative or male-gazey. Charlie is a glamorous, fabulous hipster who wears big hats and chunky glasses and won’t be separated from her doofus chihuahua. Vita is stoic, humorless, and loves to practice swordplay while she smokes. The whole book feels larger than life… like a comic book.

And yet, the art and the story never seems to play nicely together. The satire seems to think it’s over-the-top, but aside from the murder seems very grounded. The art style has the kind of gee-whiz cartoon feel that would work well for a “Fantastic Four” or “Shazam” comic. The heightened absurdity of the visuals work against the familiarity of the setting.

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The other big problem is in the characters themselves. I love the odd-couple dynamic between Charlie and Vita. I can already see the hilarious way it plays out. One insists on being a ditz and putting herself into danger, the other grumbles and saves her life. Classic stuff. But the central mystery of the story is who put out the hit on Charlie and why. And I… can’t bring myself to care? Charlie is pretty terrible, which is part of the joke, but by the end of the first issue I more interested in seeing how the lunacy plays out. The attempts at serious character work is undermined by how unlikable the central character is. Vita is more of a cipher at this point, but she exists to give Charlie someone to bounce off of, and less as someone who drives the plot. That may change in future issues, but the plot didn’t get me hooked.

It’s the art that I’m going to come back for. That and the setting. This world really is a hoot, as it gives you some much needed permission to laugh at some of the stranger developments in the real world. The art is sumptuous and lovely, and I could stare at it for hours. I look forward to future issues. Hopefully they can iron out the tone and give the characters some much needed depth.

Final Verdict: 7.7 – An uneven debut promises to go to some pretty wild places.


Jaina Hill

Jaina is from New York. She currently lives in Ohio. Ask her, and she'll swear she's one of those people who loves both Star Wars and Star Trek equally. Say hi to her on twitter @Rambling_Moose!

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