Review – CITY: Mind In The Machine #1 (Of 4) (IDW Publishing)

Publisher: IDW Publishing
Writer: Eric Garcia
Artist: Javier Fernandez
Release Date: 12th February 2014

I was intrigued to see what this story would hold seeing as it was written by the infamous Eric Garcia, the man behind the regularly released REX novels (e.g. Casual Rex, Hot and Sweaty Rex). In between, Eric penned the novel Matchstick Men and its subsequent film adaptation, solidifying his desire to work with graphic mediums on a more regular basis. This has resulted in the movie Repo Men, the TV adaption of Anonymous Rex and now this, “CITY: The Mind in the Machine”.

Our story begins with an anonymous introduction into the world of government information gathering devices, such as the 40,000 security cameras spread across San Francisco.

“It is now nearly impossible for any terror or criminal activity to take place in the city without being captured on video, making prosecution a simply matter of connecting the dots.

…but justice does not equal protection. The best defence, as they say, is a good offence.”

This is where we are introduced to this issue’s central plot device, the GOLDEN SHEILD. It removes the need for human interaction with technology, simultaneously scanning all 40,000 cameras and highlighting criminal activity. This is followed by the automatic call to arms of police and the altering of traffic systems tofacilitate their quick arrival at the scene. An incredible piece of new technology, if it works correctly… which it does not, resulting in a SWAT team arriving to break up an innocent children’s game of Cops and Robbers.

What follows is a battle to create “intuition” within a machine, a matrix-inspired story which promises to be thought-provoking and intriguing as it continues.

Where this issue falters slightly is in the dialogue and artwork. The artwork, especially in scenes based outside, can often look glossy – with suits and skin shinning like a polished kitchen worktop. The dialogue on the whole is acceptable but not great, but the “lad chat” is cringeworthy at times, with the worst being “you need to get your swagger on!” and “computers can’t give you a hug, man! …or a hummer!”