Not All Robots #1

With 10 days until Thanksgiving, last night began my countdown to the holiday with a decent size stack of comics devoted to Turkey Day! 

When it comes to Christmas comic books, if a book has a holiday looking cover but there's nothing Christmasy inside, I call it a Scrooge! So what do I need to call a book that I thought was set during the fourth Thursday of November but probably was really set during the month of July? I want to call it a Turducken. That sounds really funny. But that's probably more of a comic book without a Thanksgiving cover but has a food feast inside! So I guess I am calling this book a 'Tofurky'!

Set in a dystopian future of 2056, lucky citizens occupy city domes while millions struggle to survive the outdoors in a toxic wasteland. In the domes, humans live a life of luxury, while their family robot works and brings home the bacon. With a slew of murders and assaults being made by malfunctioning machines, the population of the Atlanta dome in particular is beginning to worry of a robot uprising. 

In the Atlanta dome, the Walters family is getting a tad suspicious of their automaton. As soon as Razorball returns home from his factory job, he slinks off into the garage and does God knows what. The Walters thinks Razorball is designing something to kill them with. And when a malfunction eliminates the entire population of the Orlando dome, the Walters' fears and that of humans everywhere might have come true! 

Has the revolution begun?

Even though there wasn't anything Thanksgiving about this comic, except for a 21st century twist on that iconic Norman Rockwell painting of a family serving a roast turkey, I was digging this first issue. That was until I read writer and series creator Mark Russell's soapbox article at the end of this issue. 

Instead of citing inspiration on how humans are becoming too reliant technology or how automation could literally destroy our economy or cause millions to lose their jobs, their livelihoods, The Prez reboot writer cites toxic masculinity as the root of all evil in this book. Primarily, WHITE masculinity. I'm not normally one to question a writer's motivations or creative license. But I rolled my eyes that of all the things Russell could blame for an ill wind between humans and robots, blaming white men for the problem would have been 50th on my list.

And then I realized who the editor for AWA (Artists, Writers & Artisans) was- Axel Alonso. During Alonso's time at Marvel as the EIC, he nearly brought the House of Ideas to its knees. Alonso alienated fans and retailers, telling everyone that he was in charge and didn't care about the feelings of those who had disposable income. There's nothing wrong with wanting to promote diversity in the storylines and voices of their creative team. But to blame a lack of sales on comics on white fragility is a complete cop out. Plain and simple, the stuff Alonso promoted just wasn't on par with the quality stories overseen by Stan Lee, Jim Shooter or even Joe Quesada. 

So I carry a bit of a grudge against Axel Alonso. And knowing that he's got a hand in this recipe has put a bad taste in my mouth. I really want to read this rest of the story. I'm just not willing to spend my hand earned money on something produced by somebody who claims that they can live without it. So if I find this book at my local library or maybe for trade credit at a used book store, I'll find out how it all ends. But until then, I can blissfully wait and use my money to buy something from someone who appreciates my voting dollars.

Maybe tonight's read will be more about the holidays...

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Footnote- I teach high school culinary. So it is my job to educate the next generation of chefs and cooks. Unfortunately, I see how my industry is in danger of losing the human element with strides in robotics and automation. As food workers request higher pay, owners and operators are looking to save money by replacing employees with robots. Such an issue troubles me to no end and for Mark Russell to completely gloss over this controversial and industry threatening issue for an axe to grind with Trump supporters and the like was just irksome to me. My apologies for allowing politics to seep deeply into my review.

 

ET-ER #1

When an up-and-coming emergency medicine doctor witnesses an after hours car crash in the hospital parking lot, she scrambles to the scene. It's a decision that will change Dr. Chen's life forever. A team of orderlies quickly arrive and take the victim to the basement. But there's no emergency ward in the basement! Is there?

Underneath a major medical center somewhere in the United States, there's an emergency room for intergalactic patients. And they serve anyone, anytime. From a convalescent that is a literal planet killer to an invalid with a weaponized immune system to a medium-sized green man in desperate need of a universal translator, Dr. Chen will learn the true meaning of universal healthcare. That is if she decides to join the staff of the ET-ER.

I wasn't expecting this story to take place on Earth. I was thinking that the ET-ER was going to be like Grey's Anatomy on Deep Space Nine. Instead, this series is more like Men In Black meet Chicago Med. But I loved it. 

This late 2021 series was lauded as a one-shot from AWA as part of the publisher's Upshot imprint. Upon finishing this book, I was disappointed, thinking that my visit to the emergency room to the intergalactic stars was over. But I am happy to say that another issue is on the way sometime this year. There's a Frank Cho cover coming that I may have to pounce on!  I'm so ready to schedule a follow-up visit with this team of extraterrestrial physicians.

Oddball drama with sci-fi medical science. Featuring a slew of talent including Dan Panosian (Alice Ever After) and Mark Texeira (Moon Knight), it's the best care anywhere!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.