To listen to the other books we discussed this week, listen to episode 76 here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1793148/episodes/16709416
James Tynion’s w0rldtr33 holds a special place in my black heart. When I went to the local comic book shop to pick up some books for the first issue of this podcast, w0rldtr33 #3 was in that pile. It reminded me of all the different types of stories that can be told in this format, it’s not all capes and cowls. When I started reading the series I got the sense that Tynion was providing food for thought and commentary on the internet and technology and it’s impact on us and our minds. How we see the world and how we treat each other. A few months later the story started to get bogged down in interpersonal relationships and histories. It felt like a completely different book. Instead of finding out more about the Undernet it was focused on characters that I couldn’t find myself invested in because there were so many of them.
With issue #12 that started to change, with issue #13 it’s clear that this book has gone back to it’s roots (so to speak). We learn more about the history of the girl who would become PH34R, and it’s pretty horrific. What I really love about this issue was how much work the art did in telling the story. The panel layouts an imagery are effective in telling the story, it flows and is captivating. The art is disorienting, immersive and disturbing, I love it.
Sadly, the Undernet doesn’t look too much unlike what our own internet looks like if you go to the right places. Of course the physical experience isn’t the same, but this is why I really liked this series when it started. How much damage has what we, the reader, have we done to our brains on the internet through the years? Whether intentional or by accident, we’ve all probably seen some awful things. What has that done to us? How has it changed us and the way we see ourselves and each other? Technology is a wonderful thing, but at the rapid rate it’s expanded in the last 30 years there has to be consequences for us lowly humans.
This issue is one of the best of the series so far. It moves the story along, gives us answers to some questions, but still provides more mysteries to be unraveled. There was a time that I wasn’t sure if I’d continue this series but I’m back on board.
