“Surrogates,” a detective story disguised as science fiction, is crammed with subtexts that will keep you thinking about the way society interacts with technology long after you’ve reached the last page. Thirteen years after it debuted, it still holds up to a careful examination.
Written by Robert Venditti
Illustrated by Brett WeldeleThe year is 2054, and life is reduced to a data feed. The fusing of virtual reality and cybernetics has ushered in the era of the personal surrogate, android substitutes that let users interact with with world without ever leaving their homes. It’s a perfect world, and it’s up to Detectives Harvey Greer and Pete Ford of the Metro Police Department to keep it that way. But to do so they’ll need to stop a techno-terrorist bent on returning society to a time when people lived their lives instead of merely experiencing them.
$19.95 / 208 pages
The series was published as six bimonthly issues starting in 2005, but the first time I heard about “Surrogates” was during the promotional push for the film adaptation starring Bruce Willis in 2009. Being cheap, I went to Barnes & Noble to check out the paperback collection from the comfort of their overstuffed chairs. To be honest, the art immediately put me off, and I put it back on the shelf before I made it too far. I saw the movie anyway, and I liked it enough to give the comic a second chance. This time I paid good money for it from my local comic shop.
Let’s get something out of the way real quick: the movie isn’t the comic. There are lots of commonalities, but most of them are superficial. The adaptation is faithful the same way Avengers: Infinity War was faithful to “The Infinity Gauntlet” – simultaneously not at all faithful, but also very much so. The point is, even if you saw The Surrogates and thought it sucked, you should still read “The Surrogates.”
For those unfamiliar, let me explain the story. In 2054, pretty much everyone owns an android (surrogate) that looks human. Owners can put on VR headsets that allow them to live vicariously through their robot, which means they can always look perfect, never tire, and avoid most types of danger. This has a huge impact on the police force, as now there is no physical risk, no physical requirements, and everyone has a digital record of what they saw, heard, and did. This is relevant because our protagonist, Harvey Greer, is a detective. The story begins with the introduction of a villain who has modified his surrogate to be very dangerous. Greer’s surrogate is damaged and he’s forced to continue the investigation in person as the villain steals various high tech things.
There’s quite a bit of s-f world building in this series, but as I said earlier, this is really just a detective story. A good one. It’s not a “who dunnit” mystery where clues are dropped so readers can try to solve it before Greer does. There’s no big twist where clues are suddenly rearranged to point in a new direction. There’s just Greer and his partner working a case. They identify a suspect, then try to catch him. The surrogate technology gives that some extra dimension, but that’s really all the plot there is. Fortunately, this comic is about a lot more than a police case.
As Greer uncovers the details of the upgraded surrogate used by the villain, he also uncovers the villain’s motives and ultimate intent. This, plus his experiences after his surrogate is destroyed, lead him to reflect on his own life. When he tries to share his internal crisis with those around him – his partner and his wife – he’s led to reflect on concepts much bigger than himself. He questions the way society has begun using the surrogates, which were originally made to help disabled persons, and the way they’ve caused interpersonal interactions to be shallow and leave everyone isolated.
Venditti does an excellent job of keeping these ideas open ended. Characters espouse pros and cons on everything, but Greer himself remains undecided. Since he is the audience’s surrogate, we are left to decide for ourselves how to answer. This means that every reader will come away from the story with a unique take on it, and opens the door for some heady discussions. Ten years after I first read it, I still find myself referencing it during conversations about technology. It’s quite applicable to Facebook and other social media.
Continued belowQuick aside – I have a Facebook account but don’t use it for much. I’ve logged in maybe five times in the last two years. Because I use it so infrequently, it doesn’t know what ads to show me. The most recent time I was on, I was liking a new comic publisher so I could get some information about an upcoming book. Based on that action, I was immediately shown ads for deodorant, shampoo, and a dating website. I was both amused and irritated.
Weldele’s art still gives me pause. He handled every element of the art duties, which leads me to believe that the final product is exactly what he intended. His style is very rough, and some panels look like unfinished sketches. The coloring is likewise rough, with some splotches and textures that don’t always align with the penciled images. Other times, particularly on close ups, his work is much tighter and he nails the facial expressions. I will say, though, that despite the loose presentation that his storytelling is remarkable and compact. The action is crystal clear and the characters are distinguishable. When I try to imagine how other artists would present the story, I have to admit that anyone using a style more in line with my preferences would require more pages to get the ideas across. Weldele isn’t my favorite artist, but he’s undeniably talented.
The collected edition is packed with DVD-like extras, including a deleted scene that was cut from the fourth issue. It’s presented in script form with some sketches by Weldele to provide some visuals. There’s also a script-to-page walk through and a pin up gallery featuring work by a dozen artists. It’s a great value at $19.95, and will remain entertaining on multiple readings. I read through it again before writing this, and I’m still discovering new details or connections that I had overlooked before.
After you enjoy this one, there’s also a prequel, “Flesh and Bone.” It was released as a graphic novel during the summer of 2009 to capitalize on the movie buzz. A third volume has been planned pretty much since 2006, and as of last week Venditti said he and Weldele plan to get to it… someday.
