Analog #1
Writer: Gerry Duggan
Artist: David O’Sullivan
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Joe Sabino
Publisher: Image Comics
Review by Greg Brothers
Seems as if you can not go a day anymore without hearing about some sort of data breach. It is something that has almost become part of everyday life. So, what would happen if people had enough? What if someone decided to unleash a program that exposed all the secrets that people hid on the internet? How would the world change if all the world’s secrets had to be delivered through couriers instead of simply emailing it across the world?
Thankfully, thanks to the mind of Gerry Duggan, we get an idea of what that world might be like.
Analog #1 introduces us to Jack MiGinnis on a job in St. Louis. He has been hired to deliver an important package that cannot be trusted to be sent over an internet (which holds no secrets anymore). In the year 2020, the world woke up to a completely different world as “The Great Doxxing” exposed everything people had done on the internet to the world. Since then, people have made one of two choices; they have embraced the openness and now hide nothing in their lives, or, as is the case with Jack, they have gone completely off the grid when it relates to online lives.
The main focus of Analog #1 is definitely Jack. That’s not to say that there are not other characters throughout this first issue, but they are just gleaned over. Focusing on Jack works for Analog #1 mainly because there is so much to learn about the rules in this new world. As Jack finishes up his latest assignment he is able to introduce the world that these people live in. It allows Duggan to lay out several different threads that can be explored later as the series progresses. While we do not know why, we also find out who unleashed “The Great Doxxing.” That is where the brilliance of Duggan shines through. Jack is presented as a typical hard-boiled PI/hitman in a classic noir-style. However, this first issue reveals that he is much more complicated.
The noir art style works for Analog #1. It allows for Jack to stand out in the world of oversharing and technology. The designs are gritty and remind the reader that Jack is much more comfortable in a world that has gone by. However, once we land in future New York, the art is able to switch flawlessly. Part of that seamless switch has to do with Belaire. She is able to easily alternate from the muted colors of the meeting in the park, to a bright and vibrant New York where technology is king.
Verdict: Buy it.
Although the concept of the book came to be long before many of the issues with Facebook privacy came to light, Analog #1 is able to take the fears of many and turn it into a compelling first issue that lays the foundation to what should be an interesting series.
