Publisher: Image Comics
Writer: Ales Kot
Artist: Langdon Foss, Jordie Belaire (Colours), Clayton Cowles (Letters)
Release Date: 8th April 2015

Turns out, jumping into issue two of ‘The Surface’ without reading the previous issue was a big mistake. A few pages in and it felt like I was trapped in a surrealist Freudian nightmare, replete with psychosexual imagery and competing third person meta-narratives. After a little background reading (the previous issue), things became a little clearer.

Set in a not too distant future, The Surface presents a hyper-realistic, dystopian vision of the here and now. The populace are routinely bombarded with an endless stream of information (exemplified in a satirical newsfeed which borrows heavily from Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers with “would you like to know more?” appended to each headline), and each person caches the minutiae of their life for all to see. There is a belief among subversive, anti-establishment types, that reality is merely a holographic projection created by The Surface, so a trio of hacktivists head into the jungles of Tanzania in search of the truth. 

Conceptually, it’s an interesting if somewhat familiar premise, and the creative team are clearly attempting to push the boundaries of the medium in their approach. Ales Kot’s puzzling, multi-layered narrative embraces alternative sexualities (placing a polyamorous relationship at the heart of the story), and holds a mirror to society concerning our obsession with social media in a style reminiscent of Morrison at his most meta, lacing the story with contemporary scientific and philosophical theories. 

The artwork and overall design of the book also lays down a gauntlet to the reader. Langdon Foss cleverly uses inset and overlapping panels to dilate time and create a sense of multiple things happening in the same timeframe. There are a few layouts that I found confusing, but given the complexity of the narrative, that’s most likely the desired effect. Jordie Bellaire’s colour work shifts tones to match the mood of the moment. Pastel hues create an emotive backdrop in the first half, before making way for bold, earthy tones that usher in a dose of reality in the closing pages.  

The challenging nature of The Surface might narrow its potential audience, but if existential, dystopian sci-fi is your thing, there’s plenty to get your teeth into here.

Rating: 4/5.

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The Writer of this piece was: Martin Doyle
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