Alex + Ada #3
In a world where technology is reaching it’s peak, having an android as a companion is still something to be scoffed at. Alex struggles to find a place where can finally find comfortable ground with Ada and it’s not an easy journey as his ethical compass starts to spin around.
Writer: Jonathan Luna & Sarah Vaughn
Artist: Jonathan Luna
Cover: Jonathan Luna
Publisher: Image
Alex and Ada’s journey isn’t just about the funny idea of having a robot as a companion because they’re perfect and it doesn’t get any better than that, it’s a journey just like any other relationship about the awkward struggle in the beginning to get to know one another, the doubts of it working, and the approval from the friends. The story that Luna and Vaughn construct is incredibly real in a story that takes place with technology that some of us can barely fathom. It starts with Alex’s friends over to originally take the mickey out of him and then to grill Ada a little to find out just what kind of android tech she is, but ultimately end up leaving giving her the seal of approval, of course with Alex’s best interests in mind.
The winner of all this seems to be Ada who is incredibly innocent in this entire ordeal, which is part of her perfect charm. In fact, all the robots are charming (I dare you to look at Otto’s little smile as he’s putting away Alex’s dirty mug into the dishwasher, and not think he’s freaking cute for a robot), which is entirely the charm of the world that Luna and Vaughn have created. Much like Alex, the reader sympathizes with the robotic life forms, unable to want to wish them away no matter how awkward or uncomfortable they get. Readers also follow Alex on his strange moments early into his relationship with Ada (girlfriend or not), at some times very warm towards her, especially over food and during mealtimes, and other times realizing just how strange it is, when she can be incredibly robotic.
This is where it becomes beyond just a cute story about a man and his female companion who happens to be a very cute robot, but Luna and Vaughn take us into a point where we go against what morally seems best for androids. They’ve already played out the worst that could happen when androids become sentient, as mentioned by the Nexaware massacre, and yet, no sentience at all isn’t enough for Alex.
Alex + Ada takes a deeper turn as Alex tries to find solutions for his life with Ada. Some of the things he wants is illegal and finds it in hidden places, but just because it’s against the law, may not mean that it’s always going to turn out poorly, but Alex won’t know until he braves the choices he needs to make, and whether he’ll be ready for the consequences or not.
This third installment is the most exciting one yet as Alex delves deep into Prime Space (which sort of seems like a mind-internet) to try and find answers. It starts off funny, and turns into cute and progressively starts to become a little more sobering as readers are forced to think about certain choices and their ramifications and whether the sacrifice is worth it, as Alex is forced to think the same.
The art remains simple but purposeful in telling the story. There are no major action sequences, but that’s what keeps it all very human and relatable, so we don’t get carried away by the tech of it all because at it’s core, it’s a story about people and relationships, and it just so happens one of them might be artificial.
Writer: Jonathan Luna & Sarah Vaughn
Artist: Jonathan Luna
Cover: Jonathan Luna
Publisher: Image
Alex and Ada’s journey isn’t just about the funny idea of having a robot as a companion because they’re perfect and it doesn’t get any better than that, it’s a journey just like any other relationship about the awkward struggle in the beginning to get to know one another, the doubts of it working, and the approval from the friends. The story that Luna and Vaughn construct is incredibly real in a story that takes place with technology that some of us can barely fathom. It starts with Alex’s friends over to originally take the mickey out of him and then to grill Ada a little to find out just what kind of android tech she is, but ultimately end up leaving giving her the seal of approval, of course with Alex’s best interests in mind.
The winner of all this seems to be Ada who is incredibly innocent in this entire ordeal, which is part of her perfect charm. In fact, all the robots are charming (I dare you to look at Otto’s little smile as he’s putting away Alex’s dirty mug into the dishwasher, and not think he’s freaking cute for a robot), which is entirely the charm of the world that Luna and Vaughn have created. Much like Alex, the reader sympathizes with the robotic life forms, unable to want to wish them away no matter how awkward or uncomfortable they get. Readers also follow Alex on his strange moments early into his relationship with Ada (girlfriend or not), at some times very warm towards her, especially over food and during mealtimes, and other times realizing just how strange it is, when she can be incredibly robotic.
This is where it becomes beyond just a cute story about a man and his female companion who happens to be a very cute robot, but Luna and Vaughn take us into a point where we go against what morally seems best for androids. They’ve already played out the worst that could happen when androids become sentient, as mentioned by the Nexaware massacre, and yet, no sentience at all isn’t enough for Alex.
Alex + Ada takes a deeper turn as Alex tries to find solutions for his life with Ada. Some of the things he wants is illegal and finds it in hidden places, but just because it’s against the law, may not mean that it’s always going to turn out poorly, but Alex won’t know until he braves the choices he needs to make, and whether he’ll be ready for the consequences or not.
This third installment is the most exciting one yet as Alex delves deep into Prime Space (which sort of seems like a mind-internet) to try and find answers. It starts off funny, and turns into cute and progressively starts to become a little more sobering as readers are forced to think about certain choices and their ramifications and whether the sacrifice is worth it, as Alex is forced to think the same.
The art remains simple but purposeful in telling the story. There are no major action sequences, but that’s what keeps it all very human and relatable, so we don’t get carried away by the tech of it all because at it’s core, it’s a story about people and relationships, and it just so happens one of them might be artificial.
A Look Inside
