Low-tech street kids fight for survival on the cyber-enhanced streets of Lima, Peru, in Gustaffo Vargas’ near futuristic L1MA.

A handful of street kids who are usually running scams in markets to steal whatever they can to survive witness a street fight that leaves both sides of the fight dead. The kids make off with the strange item the two dead men seemed to have been handing off or stealing. The item in question is a weird, squid-like thing that, apparently, is great at hacking or resisting hacking. Having an item or creature like this in their hands draws the wrong kind of attention, and, soon enough, these kids are fighting for their lives.

There’s no specific date given, but Vargas’ version of Peru is full of endless crowded sidewalks and sprawling rooftops that these kids zig-zag through or vault from building to building on. It’s an exciting and unforgiving environment. Vargas fills every corner of the page with something interesting to look at, as the kids eventually go underground to try to stay alive.

The story itself takes some leaps in logic (One of the characters randomly eating something is a plot point.), and I would have preferred jumping into the story a little quicker or further in, but, all in all, this is a great setup for the series and a really nice introduction to this world and the characters. Speaking of the characters, I love the fact that not all of them make it, and the bad guys are kind of scary. The cybernetics are grimy and not very sleek. Choices, both in the storytelling and aesthetically, really enhance this book.

Vargas also does great work with colors and lettering. There’s one moment in particular in which a gun is drawn and fired; the way the panels are laid out with the BLAM spread across the page – it’s effective.

Really fun work from Vargas. Hopefully, he pushes ahead and spends some more time in this world.

Creative Team: Gustaffo Vargas (story, art)
Publisher: tacu tinta Press
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