Sean Murphy: story and art
The Solicitation
As Chris grows up to be a teenager, he starts to question his existence, rebelling against his “captors” in front of the whole world. Meanwhile, Gwen’s depression has Thomas and Epstein worried, but all Slate sees is increasing ratings...
Preview
Why I Bought It
Everything about this series has been spectacular to read and view. We are issue #3 of 6, so I'm going to be in it for the long haul.
What I Liked
Well, that was an interesting turn.
This book hurls the series in big leaps forward. For one thing, Chris ages. A lot. But for all the build up he is getting, we are seeing the tear down of Gwen. You just see a character that is desperate for anything in her life besides the situation that she is in. She has her entire life under someone else's control, under the eye of the camera, and forced to follow dogma that I bet she doesn't 100% believe in. Chris is then reflecting that in his own change, as if he is the inner voice of Gwen.
And then Chris goes and tries to actually do a miracle. Then we get the big jump forward in time. It does speed along at a quick pace, but there are a few panels that tell you everything you need to know about what happened during those years. The one in particular is Chris in a public school going to the bathroom and his bodyguard standing right there intimidating all the kids around him.
Slate is the controlling father figure in all this. You know he is always going down the road that involves exploiting Chris and everything around him. I am kinda surprised that he threatens and then actually does fire Gwen. How can you fire the mother? The end gives a slight nod to what may have happened, and if you are thinking like I'm thinking then you know that "angel" at the end was probably a hallucination meant to finally bring her in line once Chris started going haywire.
And Chris going that insane? Looks like we finally met our title character of the series.
What I Didn't Like
I like the cover design. I think it looks great. But what it really points out is how much adding color to these characters changes how the character can be perceived. That Gwen on the cover, even though she is being drawn by the same artist inside the book, doesn't really look like the feel for the character inside. So I don't like that one aspect of the cover, but I am thankful that the interior is black and white.
The NAC suddenly appearing friendly has to be a ruse of some sort. They just seemed to turn into such a friendly crowd overnight that it makes them appear fishy to me. If they continue to be friendly I think it will be a bad turn for them and out of character. But we shall see on that.
It just seems like Slate is playing such a villain at this point in the story that I'm surprised more people aren't calling him out on it. I can't see one thing he has done good in the comic that can be reflected back to the rest of the world that he has good intentions. But it reminds me again that if he has the power to turn off the cameras, when does this show actually air? Is it Truman Show? Or some sort of nightly TV show?
Panel to Remember
I'm going with the bathroom panel. Seriously, that one panel showed so much and told a story in and of itself. Perfectly done.
Quotable
"So until I get my mother back, the show's over!" Love this quote. Unleash the Jesus!
Grades
Words: 9/10
Pictures: 10/10
Buy Next Issue: I'm down.
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