Thursday, June 9, 2016

REIVEW: ALEX + ADA VOLUMES 1-3 BY JONATHAN LUNA AND SARAH VAUGHN


Published by Image Comics, 2014, 2015, 2015 Respectively

      It's tough to be a human. When Alex's Grandmother gifts him a Tanaka X5 android (Ada) to ease the loneliness after a harsh breakup, he's less than pleased. Quickly after accepting responsibility, he becomes bothered by her lack of opinions and consciousness. Attempting to create a better life for Ada, (and to appease his complicity in robot ownership), Alex seeks out a way to awaken her sentience. This obviously presents various problems that are explored throughout the three volume story arc.
      Some might find the artwork "plain" but I thought it was a beautiful, simplistic style for this subject. It was extremely conducive to showing the emotions of despair and happiness on their faces, particularly Ada's as she adjusted to her new life. I really appreciated Alex's gentle, compassionate character. He consistently tried to make the best of the situation, and was a genuinely nice guy who didn't want to take advantage of his dominant position. 
      What does it mean to feel? What are the basic rights of all living things? When do corporations go too far? How do we enact change? What are the long term ramifications for behaving inappropriately based on fear of the unknown?  
      This graphic novel explores technology and humanity in an extremely intelligent fashion.. It brings up moral and ethical dilemmas that advanced societies face without sounding preachy or heavy handed. I was impressed with the amount of scientific backstory concerning the androids- I felt like I got all the necessary facts I would receive from a novel in the well-articulated speech bubbles, all with the benefit of fantastic illustration. I can't think of anything I would have changed. I wish there were more of these, but I congratulate the author and illustrator for not dragging things out for popularity's sake. I will be seeking out more from this pair. It's taken me a long time to understand the appeal of graphic novels, and these have been my favorite so far. I enjoyed them all the same, hence the one rating.
  

    
 

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