NON HUMANS 1

NON HUMANS 1

Writer: Glen Brunswick
Artist: Whilce Portacio
Publisher: Image
Reviewer: Rob Patey (aka Optimous Douche, Ain’t It Cool News)

I should be writing my BATMAN 13 review right now or finishing the rest of the books for the SPOILER ART webcast tonight (brought to you every Tuesday – end plug), but when one’s brain is electrocuted from the mire of comic malaise there is an imperative to share the spark with geekdom.

Sci-Fi has been sucking wind for the past few years, it’s like when Battle Star Galactica ended, Anders took the Zeitgeist of gut rendering Sci-Fi with him into the sun. Even though the Mayans predicted 2012 would be the end of all things, they’re funny little headdresses failed to see a resurgence of new interest n fantastic Sci-Fi and Sci-Fa material.

Image is really to thank for this second coming, with books like SAGA and now NON-HUMANS I would say they dominate the Philip K. Dick corner of comicdom with nary a rival in sight.

I don’t know if I 100% get NON-HUMANS, but this is one of the rare books that I appreciate for the confusion. I know the year is 2041. I know Oliver Aimes is a member of the LAPD who was raised on Bruce Springsteen. I know Oliver’s ex-wife hates him and his 14 year old son pretty much thinks he’s a dick.

What I also know, but am still left wondering how it could be possible, is that Aimes informant within the hood of Plastic Town is a foul-mouthed, dope peddling, Teddy Ruxpin. I also know Aimes’ son is banging a Victoria’s Secret mannequin and they have a “kid” together.

Don’t worry you nor I had a stroke in that last paragraph. The NON-HUMANS are plastic come to life. I think. The spark of creation was a disease that allowed anyone’s imagination to create new life. Hence, in the year 2041, children are forced to take imagination suppression drugs to stem the birth rate of the continually burgeoning NON-HUMAN population.

The parallels to other Sci-Fi properties are an easy way out to describe the realer than life characters and beyond our life imagination Brunswick and Portacio have captured here. I am truly in awe of this book and hunger to understand this world more through the Aimes’ family. They are us, in a world that I would have never conceived possible.

Image has been pumping out a ton of books this year and they have all been pretty goddamn good. Sadly, most of the books I simply couldn’t recommend as “must continues” for any recession affected comic fan. But Brunswick and Portacio have created more than an IP here, more than a concept, they created a great fucking comic book with legs longer than a Kenyan long jumper to succeed and flourish.