"As a work of sciencefiction, here's plenty about Myopia to recommend. It's commentary on socialmedia dependency and global climate change are clear without being preachy ordistracting from the larger narrative. The mysteries it sets up are compelling,and the setting feels fully realized." —Mike McNulty,bamsmackpow.com
"The book's overall structure-essentially a grave,twisty murder mystery-may also remind comic-book fans of Alan Moore and DaveGibbons' 1980s classic Watchmen.
A fun,socially conscious graphic novel that keeps both eyes on the nearfuture."
-Kirkus
"Myopia remains anenjoyable and original experience. The character of Chase is a compellingcentral figure, and his relationship with Matthew is interesting and well-drawn.The supporting characters have personality and well-defined motivations, and thethreat of the domes and the already-sinister machinations of Formula Media areintriguing. I don't want to spoil the story, but the reader can feel it buildingmomentum throughout, and the shape of the issue serves to accentuate anincreasing sense of foreboding." —Jeremy Radick,Capelesscrusader.org
"Myopia is a solid read for those wholike their sci-fi hard and wordy. The story is interesting, the characters arewell formed, and the art is absolutely gorgeous. I can recommend this to anyoneup for this kind of heavy reading." —Joshua Davison, BleedingCool
"Tell us if you've got both eyes focusedon this fresh-faced steampunk follow-up from Dynamite." — Jeff Spry,Syfywire.com
"A virus has been plantedin mysterious domes located at the Earth's magnetic poles. The governmentcontinues to work to decode the virus, while the main characters, Molly andMatthew, face betrayal and other dangers. " — Publishers Weekly
2022-03-17
A future society taps into magnetic energy with disastrous results in debut author Dent’s graphic novel, illustrated by veteran artists Freire and Berkenkotter.
It’s the year 2222, and many people use special contact lenses to communicate and purchase things over a “psychic-ID” network, presided over by government agencies. Bill Glen, the creator of the tech and head of New York City–based Formula Media, was shot and killed two years ago by someone he knew. Now his best friend, Ledge Carver, runs the company, and Formula Media performs research for the International Department of Defense—something Bill never wanted. Ledge has also grown closer to Molly Glen, Bill’s widow, and her 10-year-old son, Matthew. Over dinner, Ledge asks Molly if she knows a man named James Chase, who’s applied to work at Formula and claims Bill as his mentor. Molly doesn’t know the man, who’s a dead ringer for Bill; even Jill, the lens wearers’ AI assistant, notes that James’ “psychic residue” is familiar. When Ledge is called to Washington, D.C., to speak with representatives of the Department of Defense, James visits Molly and Matthew at home. The boy has been emotionally distant since his father’s death, not quite believing that his dad is in heaven; James knows that Matthew sneaked into his father’s lab two years ago and stole special lenses that can cut through government security protocols. Meanwhile, Ledge learns that two mysterious domes have appeared near the Earth’s poles. Could they be connected to magnetic storms that are rendering the world uninhabitable?Dent, Friere, and Berkenkotter create a future that’s reminiscent of the 1920s; buildings, trains, and hovering cars all feature art deco flourishes. Overall, the art is roughly photorealistic, ably merging elements of the past and future in a style that’s similar to Brent Anderson’s work on the comic book Astro City. Some characters seem modeled on celebrities, such as Jill, who looks like actor Kristen Stewart, and Ledge, who resembles rocker Lenny Kravitz. Colorists Andrade and Mohan’s work aids the story, too, as most everything is dark and earthy aside from the lenses’ blue glow. (When Matthew wears his father’s special contacts, they glow green, indicating the bypassing of government strictures.) The narrative’s main thrust is a pointed commentary on the distracted modern age, in which many people are glued to smartphone screens. Augmented reality via contact lenses, a real-life technology on the horizon, is shown to be ripe for abuse, as in one subway-station scene: As citizens go about their business, a lensless man is accosted by black-clad agents nicknamed “cockroaches,” who are literally invisible to those wearing lenses. Another major theme is humanity’s attempts to wean itself off fossil fuels; a government memo calls worry over solar storms “left-wing hysteria,” echoing cultural battles regarding climate change. The book’s overall structure—essentially a grave, twisty murder mystery—may also remind comic-book fans of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ 1980s classic Watchmen.
A fun, socially conscious graphic novel that keeps both eyes on the near future.
