REVIEW: Alex + Ada #1

I must admit Alex + Ada flew under the radar a bit for me but I am sure glad I didn’t miss it as this was a surprise hit for me this week. Both Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughn share writing and story idea credit on this book and they have brought a unique take on artificial intelligence, robotics, relationships and terrorism all in one package. Luna has been absent from comics for three years and he makes quite a return with this series.

Set in the near future, Alex is a typical twenty-seven year old with a steady job, good relationship with family and struggling with the break-up from his girlfriend nearly seven months ago. Early on in the book we get a news report of the anniversary of a failed A.I. takeover of humanity and the steps taken to prevent it from happening again and mirrors closely our own nations reaction to terrorism, both domestic and foreign, with a high-tech twist. Alex is wired in and without words and only his thoughts he can flush the toilet, set the precise temperature and pressure of his shower, drive his car and communicate with others wired in with the same technology to name a few. Pretty cool stuff for tech-heads but his social and love life is as shaky as any current day twenty-something.

While his friends and coworkers give him typical words of encouragement it’s his spunky, full of life grandma who sets him up with something far more intriguing, yet odd to help him out of his rut. Her gift to him is something that could lift his spirits as well as his sex life but the threat of an A.I. hostile takeover looms something much more dangerous. The issue let’s you feel Alex’s stale routine to the core and poses a very serious “how would you handle it” dilemma for both Alex and the reader.

Vaughn and Luna have crafted a very thought provoking first issue while presenting it in an average Joe Shmoe character. It’s that very thing that makes is work so well. The implications of where this story going is vast and there is definitely more here than meets the eye and I can’t wait to see what’s next. While Alex + Ada surprised me it is well worth picking up and see only great things moving forward with it.