A review by lukegoldstein
Failsafe by Ben Abernathy, F.J. DeSanto, Todd Farmer, Federico Dallocchio
4.0
Looking at the political climate today it's admittedly a far cry from the one depicted in 'Failsafe', but it always is in the beginning. Not trying to sound ominous, just pointing out that all dissolutions of freedoms, personal rights, and entire societies start so small to be almost insignificant. Then it builds, one seemingly logical and innocuous step until the lumbering giant of 'progress' tramples any vision of what your past felt like. OK, that really did come off as ominous, let's get into the book.
'Failsafe', from the team of F.J. DeSanto, Todd Farmer, and Federico Dallocchio, begins with a fairly common premise these days. People exist who have been enhanced by secret technology, initially for the benefit and protection of others, but one small tweak and the protectors become the attackers. Where the story takes a more interesting turn is the discovery that many of these enhanced people were made that way without their knowledge. They are called to join forces under a shadowed leader who obviously waits until the most opportune time to reveal his true identity. So what begins as a well-versed 'us vs. them' theme quickly turns to 'us for us.'
The enhanced people fight for their right to exist in they claim the island of Manhattan as their home. They understand from the beginning their existence is a threat to their secretive creators, but no matter what they've become, they are still people and citizens of the United States. A deal is offered to let thing continue forward peacefully, but when in history has the oppressing team ever taken the empathetic and understanding way out. At my count, zero.
'Failsafe' brings the momentum and tone of a cyberpunk graphic novel, but building an underlying theme with real-world implications. As I said, the future laid out is still fantastical and not anything we are remotely close to , but the ethics of who counts as a real person and how far do we extend basic human rights, well, those conversations have been going on for decades and continue today. It is one of the reasons I love graphic novels and comic books because they have a venue where they can reach an audience still open to new worlds, new ideas, and new ways of thinking. They can help reinforce certain values that mainstream entertainment thinks is too delicate to tackle just yet.
'Failsafe' is full-throttle action, but leaves thought provoking questions behind.
'Failsafe', from the team of F.J. DeSanto, Todd Farmer, and Federico Dallocchio, begins with a fairly common premise these days. People exist who have been enhanced by secret technology, initially for the benefit and protection of others, but one small tweak and the protectors become the attackers. Where the story takes a more interesting turn is the discovery that many of these enhanced people were made that way without their knowledge. They are called to join forces under a shadowed leader who obviously waits until the most opportune time to reveal his true identity. So what begins as a well-versed 'us vs. them' theme quickly turns to 'us for us.'
The enhanced people fight for their right to exist in they claim the island of Manhattan as their home. They understand from the beginning their existence is a threat to their secretive creators, but no matter what they've become, they are still people and citizens of the United States. A deal is offered to let thing continue forward peacefully, but when in history has the oppressing team ever taken the empathetic and understanding way out. At my count, zero.
'Failsafe' brings the momentum and tone of a cyberpunk graphic novel, but building an underlying theme with real-world implications. As I said, the future laid out is still fantastical and not anything we are remotely close to , but the ethics of who counts as a real person and how far do we extend basic human rights, well, those conversations have been going on for decades and continue today. It is one of the reasons I love graphic novels and comic books because they have a venue where they can reach an audience still open to new worlds, new ideas, and new ways of thinking. They can help reinforce certain values that mainstream entertainment thinks is too delicate to tackle just yet.
'Failsafe' is full-throttle action, but leaves thought provoking questions behind.