Alex + Ada #1
Writers: Jonathan Luna, Sarah Vaughn
Artist: Jonathan Luna
Publisher: Image
Ever needed somebody so bad that you would just do it with a robot? It’s a hell of a question, and it’s the question that Alex + Ada raises in the first issue. The slow burning, dialogue filled issue follows the title character Alex as he simply survives work, love and family. The quintessential every-man, he is written to be the dullest thing on the planet on purpose. We can relate to him and the fact that he is boring, much like the rest of us are. We are simply just living out our lives and hopefully we can find someone to share it with, but for Alex, he is so painfully normal that he can’t really find exactly what he is looking for.
Although nothing much happens in the story, there is a huge idea oozing out of the pages and it is the only thing that keeps the plot moving. Alex is shown to be looking for something more than sex, or at least he thinks he is. Suppressing the pain he feels when his ex-girlfriend left him, he simply hovers through his mundane existence, even knowingly avoiding a girl who was very much interested in him. After a conversation with his grandmother, who is probably the best character in the book, he receives an android from her as a birthday gift. Androids are used for any need that a human has, even sexual, and his grandmother has no problem expression the fulfillment she has from her own android. It is almost uncomfortable to think about it, but it is one of those thoughts that we have all had: is there any way to have a relationship but not have to worry about emotions or strings? An android seems like the perfect answer, but it is yet to be decided if Alex will greet his new “toy” with open arms.
It is interesting to explore the sexualization of people like this, especially in an age where porn is so readily available to anyone with an internet connection. Although it may be a robot, one does have to ask that even though there is no real emotions felt between the people involved, there is a sort of faint guilt about it. This series is exploring some of the more uncomfortable subjects we all deal with eventually and putting it in the spotlight so that we can see ourselves in Alex. It is a tough subject, but it is being handled in a very appropriate way.
The same depth cannot be said about the art, however. Through the issue there is a barrage of bland greyish colours and tones and sometimes the entire picture becomes so static to look at that the reader might find it impossible to grip the story. Characters dissolve into the backdrop and become completely uninteresting to the reader. Though the idea and writing is superb, the art needs to have more activity within its pages so that it will become worth while to take a second look at.
“Alex + Ada is a thought provoking story that asks the questions we don’t want to ask and puts them in the spotlight. Even though the art blends into itself, this is definitely worth the read simply just for the idea alone.