Should you be reading this? – The Surrogates |

Bruce Willis is starring in a new film based on the graphic novel published by Top Shelf, The Surrogates. But, here is the question, was it worth being made into a film? The answer is a resounding yes. The story is great, layered perfectly, with writing that Robert Venditti should be greatly proud of. The character depths are amazing, and the visualization of the way humanity has become absolutely captured me. This is by far one of my favorite stories I have read in a long time.

For those of you who have not heard anything about The Surrogates let me fill you in a little bit. The Surrogates is about humanity in the year 2054. We sit all day, and link up to a robot version of ourselves, or who we want ourselves to be. This robot version of ourselves walks the world for us, doing our job, socializing for us, and even consummating sexual relationships for us. Yes, the surrogates is not just the name of the book, but it actually resonates as the under tone for the book, and more importantly if you are willing to look far enough into the depth of the plot it resonates with our real lives today.

The actual plot of the story is quite interesting and pretty simple actually. Surrogates are used by 92% of the population, and even more interesting there is a radical group out their ran by a man called the Prophet who believes that God does not want people to run around using their surrogates. The problem arises when a man runs around killing surrogates, and chaos ensues, the result of which is a great sci-fi tale.

Look there are a lot of stories out there that people say you should be reading, but quite frankly most of them are so-so stories that don’t pack any punch that isn’t skin level deep. What about reading a story that packs a great punch and has the following quotes read about, and is much deeper than skin level.

“A resplendently grimy commentary” – Entertainment Weekly

“Good science fiction is hard to come by, but Venditti’s blend of technology, crime drama and social commentary makes for the most original sci-fi mythology in years.” – Wizard Magazine

“The best indie book of the year. Sci-fi tales are making a comeback and The Surrogates is quietly leading the charge.” – IGN

But, what type of a review/column would this be if ComicNews didn’t have its own quote to impress you with.

“Sci-fi is best when social commentary is layered so thick and deep that you don’t even realize it. The Surrogates is the perfect example of how deep and great sci-fi can be when the writer is dedicated to his craft, and to the story.” – ComicNews.Info

Joshua N. Pierce

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