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‘Holli Hoxxx: Volume 2’ – Graphic Novel Review

The premise of Holli Hoxxx is rather strange, but interesting. In the year 2051, there’s no more gravity on Earth. Instead, people stick to the ground using special Gravity Boots provided by a large corporation called Tycho Industries.

There are several plots and subplots that arise from this framework. There’s the titular Holli Hox, an android developed by one of the founders of Tycho, whose blueprints may hold the key to . . . something. There’s the Lunaticks, a terrorist organization that hates Tycho, hates artificial gravity, and works to get rid of both—at the cost of hundreds of innocent lives. And then, there are flashbacks to a woman and her young son on the eve of a rather catastrophic event in Tycho’s past.

The story jumps around a lot, both in location and in time, often from one panel to the next, so it’s not always easy to follow. This is compounded by the artwork, which is deliberately rough and blurry, so that individual characters aren’t especially distinct, nor are the details of their surroundings.

The first half of Volume 2 revolves mainly around the Lunaticks and their actions. They blow up a factory owned by Tycho’s main competitor, while Holli and her group try to stop them before they strike a blow at Tycho, as well.

The second half shows how gravity left the Earth in the first place, and the rise of Tycho in the aftermath. It’s a lot clearer and easier to follow than the first half. For one thing, the artwork seems clearer. The style is the same, but the individual characters seem more distinct. Also, somewhat ironically, it’s much more linear—even though it consists almost entirely of flashbacks.

They also try to explain the science behind the gravity catastrophe, which, I think, is a mistake. Good sci-fi doesn’t necessarily need a lot of technical explanations, and they can bog the story down if they’re not done right. A lot of the science in Holli Hoxxx is just a bunch of mumbo jumbo that doesn’t make much sense, and the parts that DO make sense are wrong and make you wonder how the “brilliant scientists” involved didn’t know any better.

In the end, this comic is flawed, but still entertaining. It gets points for being a unique concept, and it’s carried out at least reasonably well for most of it. Plus, it’s got androids, so it’s worth a look.

Steven W. Alloway, Fanbase Press Contributor

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