Seventeen-year-old Liz Wynter wants to be unique, just like any teenager, but the technology in her head makes it clear that everything Liz does, thinks, dreams, or is has come before and will come again. Liz can’t even claim her DNA, since, in her futuristic galaxy, numerous women sharing her genetic code have lived, died, and are yet to be born. Her only escape is into the virtual world apps on her brain computer, but when her friend, Shane, introduces Liz to an app that will steal from other people’s mind computers, they accidentally access a program linked to a group who wants to overturn the Galactic Government and she becomes marked. Now, she’s struggling to find a way to stay one step ahead of the government agent who wants her dead, because how are you unpredictable when everything you and anyone else with your DNA has thought, done, or said is analyzed and on record?
New World Comics’ sci-fi/action series, Wynter, takes the constant interconnectivity of modern culture and gives it a futuristic twist: the connection is literally inside people’s heads. While the concept of a sort of brain computer with games and apps initially sounds fun, the Galactic Government pushes the technology to a new level by constantly reminding its citizens how their thoughts, feelings, and reactions match multitudes of others across the galaxy. The futuristic world blames crime and discontent entirely on individuality and the desire to feel special, so everyone’s voice in their heads reminds them how mundane they truly are. Obviously, Liz’s story would be boring if she were fine with the status quo, so our punked-out heroine finds trouble and begins actively trying to be unpredictable to get herself out of it. There’s also a mysterious government operative, a heinous plot to eradicate specialness from the population, and a man known only as Zero-Content who has found a way to fly under the radar despite the pervasive tech culture! There are many layers to the story so far, and it’s hard to predict the plot with only three issues. Obviously, Liz isn’t as ordinary as society would like her to believe, but her exact role is unclear at this point.
On the first read, I wasn’t entirely sold on Liz as a protagonist, since her angry, punk persona felt too cliché; however, when I took a second look at all three issues, I saw a strong young woman desperately fighting to grow in a society where she was perpetually shut down. Liz had an artistic soul that struggled with the knowledge that she was destined to be ordinary and unspecial. In another time and place, she would create great art or music or writing that would touch the souls of other disenfranchised teens, but with Computer Liz in her head reminding how many other people have shared her thoughts, where was the incentive for Corporeal Liz create? The cover of Issue #1 made me hopeful that Liz was a woman of color, but her skin tone varies throughout the issues. Given the story doesn’t take place on Earth, I think Liz can be anything, and I suspect she may be a genetic mix of several races.
Wynter’s artwork is stunning in the first three issues, and while it isn’t always technically perfect, the water color look won me over. Most of the detail is saved for the characters rather than environments or backgrounds, but it works. There’s just enough of a hint of futuristic technology to keep everyone happy, and I can safely say I’ve never seen a protagonist quite like Liz Wynter. The art gets extra points for Liz’s clothing looking like something people could actually wear!
Overall, I enjoyed the first three issues of Wynter, but I’m not entirely ready to commit myself to being a fan. There’s a lot of potential for a fascinating story, though, and I have loads of questions about Liz, Quell, and the apparent evil of the Galactic Government. Will they be answered? I guess I’ll just have to wait for the upcoming issues to find out!
4 Random Choices to Avoid Being Fried out of 5
