“Standing up for what you believe in has its consequences.”

In the latest of our small press reviews, we were able to take a look at Hacktivity #1, an exciting new project from writer Ovi Demetrian Jr. and artist James Whynot. The story centres around Shawn Harris, a software programmer and activist who finds himself on trial for breaking into the FBI database and leaking documents that show just how far their monitoring of us reaches.  Having just been found guilty, he finds himself facing 30 years in a maximum security prison.

This is an issue that’s relatively light on actual dialogue, but which manages to push the story forward creatively by showing regular people commenting on the trial through various social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). This technique is beautifully applied, and manages to give us a deeper understanding of Shawn and his situation without having to club us over the head with a massive exposition dump.

The art in this book is a bit of an enigma, as it seems to vary from beautifully detailed to almost sketch-like on a page-by-page basis. It’s clear that artist Whynot has a lot of talent, but his ink-heavy grayscale style sometimes gets a little too rough in places, making the book occasionally feel more like a storyboard than an actual finished comic. That said, when he’s on, he’s really on, and there are some terrific moments of visual storytelling to be had here, particularly the opening pages which cover the tense moments prior to Shawn’s arrest.

One of the most interesting aspects of this book – to me, at least – is the high level of realism on display. This isn’t a comic that deals with superheroes or supernatural forces, nor does it feature action scenes or brutal hand-to-hand combat. It’s just a compellingly real story that could easily have been plucked straight out of the headlines of any newspaper around the world.

This realism is a double edged sword in many ways however, as – while the book is undeniably interesting to me – there is a genuine sense throughout that we may as well just be reading a news report on the situation. However, in a terrific move, the writer mixes things up right at the end, giving the story a jolt of energy and excitement that made me extremely keen to get my hands on the next issue.

Overall though, this is an interesting title featuring some brilliant creative flourishes (the way the social media is portrayed) and a few minor niggles that hold it back from being truly great (the sometimes untidy artwork, for one). That said, it’s well worth a look for thriller fans and would-be hacktivists alike.

You can following the writer on Twitter and the artist on Deviantart, and pick up a copy of the book itself from DriveThru Comics.