Do you ever feel run down? Like your life isn’t going where you hoped or as fast as you wished? Ever feel like your dead end job is going to rip at your soul every day until you’re crying in the parking lot? D4VE does. Ever feel like you were programmed for something different? Something better? Well… D4VE does.
Written by Ryan Ferrier
Illustrated by Valentin Ramon
Mid-life. Crisis. D4VE, the defense-bot-turned-desk-slave, withers away at a soul-sucking day job, quitely dreaming of his monster-punching past. Unbeknownst to him-yet-new alien presence lands on Earth.
“D4VE”‘s concept is the ultimate in beauty in simplicity. It’s also a concept that will make you go “Wait, why didn’t I think of that?” as soon as you hear it. Because you see “D4VE” is about a defense bot whose glory days are over now that he’s getting on a bit and is having to deal with the harsh realities of working a 9-5 job for the rest of his days. As you can imagine, he doesn’t really take it that well and has a bit of a mid-life crisis because if he didn’t there wouldn’t be much of a story, would there? What keeps this from being Falling Down with robots, though, is that it’s just so gosh-darn funny. Written by Ryan Ferrier, the book is infused with such a sardonic satire of modern society that’s as funny as it is true. This is all helped by the wonderful art of Valentin Ramon which brings this fantastic world to beaten down reality.
What “D4VE” does best here is that Ferrier and Ramon present what is essential a remodel of the late 90s/early 2000s consumerist American landscape which they populate entirely with robots and visual puns. It’s a very recognisable setting that brings to mind L.A. gridlock and soulless cubicles and yet… everyone is a robot. It would be a cheap gimmick if Ferrier and Ramon didn’t pull it off so well. The world is filled to the brim, as you would expect, with world-building details that swap out commonplace items in our lives with robot-related items (oil as milk, etc.), but it’s the fact that the setting is just so very ordinary that makes it work. This feels exactly like late 90s tech-boom Los Angeles and that makes the fact that the main character is just a robot in a shirt and tie even funnier.
Ryan Ferrier has really created here one of the most biting satires of society here. The issue is very critical of seemingly go-nowhere jobs that entail sitting at desk for hours each day (apparently taken from experience on Ferrier’s part) and, underneath all the robot society set-dressing, it really hits home. This is a story about a man who just wants something better for his life and it’s made all the richer for the world created around him. This is because Ferrier injects a surprising amount of heart into the tin man amidst all the jokes. The book is certainly funny and more than a little biting, but by the end of the issue it’s easy to see that it all boils down to one man revolting against his surroundings. However, there is one small problem with the issue: it’s pretty much nothing but set-up. This is to be expected from most #1s and almost goes without saying at this point, but it’s definitely true here. The issue is thankfully brought up by just how funny it is and Ramon’s art, but buying into this series is going to be an investment before the story gets rolling.
Teaming Ryan Ferrier with Valentin Ramon was simply a stroke of genius. While Ferrier brings a lot of heart and humour to the story and characters, Ramon creates the world it all takes place in. All that I was saying about the detailing in the setting adding even more depth to the story? It all comes down to Ramon’s artwork. What really makes the art work, though, is how raw his pencils make the world feel. It would be so easy to create a world where robots rule a make everything look like an Apple Store exploded and covered the world in white plastic panelling, but Ramon shies away from that. Instead, he creates the same grimy, polluted world we have today and he makes it a little grimier and populates it with worn, rusted and bolted together robots. The ‘lived-in’ feel to the technology gave credence to the world of Star Wars and it does just the same here, elevating the great story from Ferrier even more.
Overall, this was an excellent start for “D4VE” and really showcases what these two talents can do and where they can go with such a deceptively simple idea. While this was mostly set up, alluding to a grander plot to come, Ferrier’s wit on display and the depth of the world-building thanks to Ramon’s art. This is just yet more proof that thanks to Monkeybrain you really do get more for less.
Final Verdict: 8.9 – This may be a long-term investment for story, but it’s still a buy.
