Review by Isaac Magaña

Writer: Robert Venditti
Penciller: Brett Weldele
Inker: Brett Weldele
Colorist: Brett Weldele
Letterer: Brett Weldele
Editor: Chris Staros

While there are a lot of mainstream comic books being made into movies there are also a few independent comics moving in the same direction. The Surrogates is one of those titles. Even though I had heard about the all-star casting for the film a few months back; I must admit the movie trailer is what finally motivated me to pick up the book.  Now that I’ve read the book, I can honestly say that I really hope the movie does as good of a job brining the world of the Surrogates to life.

This book takes place sometime in the near future, a future where most people never leave their homes.  Instead, they send out a surrogate or robot/ android that looks like the user who owns it. The owner uses their surrogate to interact with the outside world from the privacy of their home. They feel and experience things through their surrogate but without any ill effects. The majority of the population now lives through their surrogates but there are some who refuse to be part of the surrogate society. The story takes place here on a reservation a few miles outside of the city.

Everything begins with a couple making out in an alleyway. They are approached by a man shrouded in black clothing.  He tells them to “live” and proceeds to electrocute the couple. The couple is then revealed to be surrogates. While the owners were not harmed their surrogates were damaged beyond repair. The cops soon arrive to determine what caused the failure to these surrogates. At first it’s assumed that lightening from a thunderstorm hit the unlucky couple but once Lt. Greer reviews the data recording of one of the surrogates he believes there is something else at play.  While reviewing the recorded tape of the damaged surrogate, he discovers a third person is involved. Through his research he learns that this was just the start of something much larger, something that will impact every surrogate user in the city.

My grasp of this future was very limited at first. However, writer Robert Venditti hooked me with each turn of a page and as each issue was released I was more and more engrossed in the world of surrogates and surrogacy. Robert did an utterly impressive job in creating and sculpting a future in which surrogates are a real thing and a part of everyday life. He didn’t limit the plot and made sure it touched on all aspects of living in a world with surrogates. He may not have spent a lot of time with specific details about the world but I never found it lacking. To some the lack of details could be annoying but I found that it just added more flavor to what was brewing in the story. At first, Brett Weldele’s art seemed very simple and almost amateur-ish. His pencils and inks lacked complexity, at least at a first glance. At the same time something about Brett’s style conveys much with its simplicity. It’s as if his art is channeling the phrase “keep it simple stupid”. Brett doesn’t go in for heavy details but does make sure to hit the important aspects of every panel. The facial expressions drawn by Brett were impressive considering the lack of pencil strokes in each face. Its simplicity was its strength. The coloring in this book was not in the mainstream style. Rather than color individual objects in each panel Brett colored whole pages in one color but varied the intensity and brightness of the page. The color style really complimented the mood of the story and especially the scenes. I thought the coloring schemes would become repetitive but they always seemed to highlight the correct mood of the story. I’m still in awe of its simplicity and strength.

When I sit back and reflect on this story I can’t help but open my mind to what a world full of surrogates would mean. At the end of each issue the reader is treated to supplemental material. Each supplement gave me some tidbits of information and facts about surrogate society.  I found it interesting but it also gave me a lot of points to ponder.  There isn’t a lot of deep philosophical thought in this book.  This didn’t bother me since it wasn’t the kind of story Robert wanted to tell. This story is about a cop solving a criminal case in a world with completely different rules than ours. I highly recommend this book and I have resigned myself into thinking the movie will not be as good as this book. I can live with that because this book can stand on its own.  It really makes you think what a world filled with surrogates would be like.

Rating: 9 out of 10 (Excellent)