Written by Greg Pak
Illustrated by R.B. SilvaIn the year 2061, Sprout Computers releases the iEye, a pair of glasses that allow you to effortlessly record, edit, and add special effects to anything you see — and instantly share it with the world. It’s all of the insane potential of digital media and social networking at the speed of thought, and three film grads named BUDDY, DAVE, and JANE have embraced the new dream. But now the other shoe’s about to drop… Don’t miss the second issue of “Planet Hulk” writer Greg Pak’s insane new sci fi story, gloriously pencilled by up-and-coming superstar R.B. Silva (“Jimmy Olsen”).
The first issue of this entirely free new mini-series from Greg Pak and R.B. Silva (amongst others) was glowingly reviewed by our site. Now, the second issue is up and it’s my turn to review.
Find out what I think after the jump.
From a purely conceptual standpoint, Pak and Silva’s Vision Machine absolutely towers over your average comic, as the idea of the iEye and its integration of digital media and social networking isn’t just fiercely imaginative, it’s also scary in how real it feels. Given our current rate of technological advancement, why couldn’t we already be on the cusp of this device?
With the first issue, we were given the bright and shiny look at this device, highlighting all of the positives that could stem from this device. Your imagination come to life. The ability to instantly share moments with all of your friends and family (or others…imagine what the iEye would do for the porn industry?). The advances it would bring to the film industry and the world of journalism. The iEye brings a ton of positives to the table, but the second issue starts bringing the absolutely frightening (and realistic) negatives to the table.
With this issue, our hero Buddy is one year older and is a drone in this new world. Chastised by his coworker for not wanting to exist in this world that features near constant ads and overstimulation, Buddy starts to resist the culture that his best friends Dave and Jane have embraced. While the story Pak tells isn’t exactly something we haven’t seen before (many sci-fi flicks have handled the “future that is ‘better’ but is it really?” angle before), the execution of it makes the unfettered imagination of it seem all the more exciting.
As do the very tangible feeling ramifications of the iEye. How many of you go out to dinner with a group of friends and at times find all of their friends on their phones simultaneously, buried in the now of others instead of the present of themselves? How many fall victim to savvy marketing specifically targeted towards your profile on Facebook? The iEye may not be here in execution, but the groundwork is being laid, and Pak preys upon the fear of that potential reality with the precision of a master storyteller.
That we invest so heavily in Buddy as a lead makes the story all the more engrossing. Buddy is someone we could all see ourselves in…someone at first enamored with this wondrous new technology but then astounded by how it has taken over society. He’s modern society’s eyes into this world, and by the time he gets involved with the OOTON (Off of the Official Network) Rebels, we’re clamoring for him to start fighting back against the system. The Rebels themselves handle the resistance in a rather hilarious way, taking back the imaginations of modern society in a delicious way that I couldn’t applaud Pak more for.
On art, R.B. Silva is someone I was only familiar with due to his work on the Jimmy Olsen back-up in Action Comics, but he’s someone I’ve continually been impressed with. His work here is beautiful – clean lines, excellent storytelling, thoughtful facial work, and very, very imaginative design on scenes and the layouts within the iEye interface – and is amplified by the modest and tight inks by DYM and the coloring that works across the board from Java Tartaglia. This is a book that is as sharply drawn as it is written, and that is really saying something.
This book so far has been one of visionary imagination that is grounded in enough reality to make it all the easier to invest in. Pak’s is in top form here, and with such an exciting collaborator like Silva, this is one of the must read books of 2010. All the better? It’s free! How can you pass that up people?
Final Verdict: 9.4 – Buy (FOR FREE!)
