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‘Technomancer #1:’ Comic Book Review (And for My Next Trick . . . Google!)

Technomancer 1

 

Technomancer 1Technology destroyed the world, and so the people of Virdis Valley have demonized it, burning at the stake anyone foolish enough to dig up the tools from that forgotten time. Merrick is a magician, or, more accurately, a con artist that makes use of technology by pretending it’s magic. Traveling along with his assistant, Thaddeus Kidd, Merrick is about to be swept up in a larger adventure when a woman from a far away land falls out of the sky and into his life.

Technomancer‘s premise is solid. The world of Virdis Valley is similar to a medieval/renaissance level of technology, only changed quite a bit since it was a regression instead of an advancement. Clothes, armor, buildings, even guns have little twists on them that make the setting maintain a sci-fi feel even in a retro world. The way Merrick is able to use both everyday technology to you and I and sci-fi tech as magic is a well thought out concept that follows through perfectly. When the setting isn’t focused on the technology aspects, it still manages to be vibrant and exciting such as the introduction of the various other creatures of Virdis Valley.

The art style is interesting. It appears to still be drawn and colored, but everything has that feel of cartoon CGI animation. Simple, a little cartoony, but solid. The art was a bit odd in places, but, overall, is detailed and looks great, with a feel that matches the tone of the setting and the comic’s themes perfectly.

Now, let’s talk about the major issue with this comic. The representation of women. Technomancer is one of the more misogynist comics I’ve read in a long time. There are two primary female characters: Merrick’s former assistant (a name is never given) and Roya, the girl from the sky. Both have their looks complimented and are threatened with rape every other page, are placed in revealing outfits or nothing at all and in compromising positions, and are considered “nothing but trouble” by the men with their only value in the men’s eyes being their f—ability. This representations made it really difficult to enjoy the rest of the comic since it occurred with such frequency.

The women are treated as objects, and the male characters don’t fair much better. Merrick has a little of that Han Solo vibe going on, but other than that it’s like all the characters’ personalities consist of a few adjectives and nothing more. As engaging as the setting is, unfortunately, without the characters or the strength of plot, this first issue felt aimless. But, now that the groundwork has been done, here’s to a more engaging set of protagonists and less misogyny going forward!

Two and a Half Trick Holo-Orbs out of Five

 

 

Kristine Chester, Fanbase Press Senior Contributor

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Favorite Comic Book SeriesAtomic Robo Favorite D&D Class:  Wizard Favorite Ice Cream Flavor:  Cookies N' Cream

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