Symmetry #2
Publisher: Top Cow
Writer: Matt Hawkins
Artist: Raffaele Ienco
Cover: Raffaele Ienco
In the first issue, Matt Hawkins and Raffaele Ienco introduced us to quite the interesting version of a Utopia. However, all “good” things must come to an end and as the great Sam Cooke said, “A change is gonna come!”. This begins with a solar flare that severely cripples the artificial intelligence that assisted in governing certain areas of this society. So what happens when a people who have not had to lift a finger for their own survival are faced with a much different reality and their ideologies begin to crumble? A new reality comes crashing in and it’s going to get messy for everyone involved.
Hawkins does an excellent job steadily building the tension and stress in this issue as he moves us ahead several years after the disaster. Perfectly showing how the citizens who have been cut off are dealing with their newfound emotions and living life unassisted by the automated robots. Then the events that take place at Wolfe Creek begin to highlight how unequipped these people are as well as the revelation that others are out there who don’t look like them. Nor do they speak the same language. As the layers of deception start to be noticed, Hawkins also shows how the conditioning of these people affects them physically. Much like a drug addict going through withdrawl when going cold turkey. The power of the Council is also demonstrated here as they use what may be viewed as “unethical” means to contain the crisis but to them it’s the only correct solution for that problem.
Symmetry also winds up being a great looking title courtesy of artwork from Raffaele Ienco. The opening sequence is a nice visual buildup to the title page and sets us up for the narrative that we’ll be getting from Hawkins. There were a few times where some of the male characters looked too similar to one another but understand that the society being depicted here doesn’t lend itself to a lot of variety. The tech scenes that involved the AI Sol were some of the most eye catching panels. Holographic displays depicting the violence and damage gives off the frantic and busy feel during the meeting. Sol’s design gives off a very cool but ominous feel as it’s faceless but has the look of a multi-eyed tentacle creature. So if at any point Sol starts to go “bad” Ienco has definitely given him the look of something that can be a little scary and taken seriously.
As with many of the titles that Hawkins works on (Think Tank, The Tithe) you’ll get more information after the main story that helps to add to the creative process.
Symmetry #2 sets the stage for something bigger to come as Hawkins and Ienco tell their story. Which might bring up questions about how our own society functions and it’s reliance on technology and governance of it’s citizens. So if you want to get into something new then you should give Symmetry a try and see if it’s for you. Hawkins delivers very solid storytelling and character building while Ienco makes it all look fantastic along the way!
Infinite Speech
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