CONTRABAND REVIEW

[Kevin Sutton]

Reviewer: Kevin Sutton, kevinsutton@cheerful.com

Violence, sex, and reality. But no ringtones, music, or movies… I guess as long as they’re not treading on copyrights.

Writer: Thomas J Behe
Art: Phil Elliot
Inks: Ian Sharman
Toner: Cherie Donovan
Cover: Marcus Hohl
Published by: Slave Labor Graphics Publishing

Contraband is a story about an underground network of amateur videos of violence, sex, vice, and anything else worthy of appearing on the internet. In Contraband one amateur videographer is caught in a web of deceit and power when he gets too close to the too-real action that makes Contraband the hit it is for millions of connected degenerates. Contraband is a sci-fi tech thriller revolving around a super dramatized struggle for control of web 2.0 and showcasing the collision between modern technology and the mob’s desire for circus.

The art of contraband is alright, but not particularly useful at conveying the complex elements of a story. It’s consistent and detailed enough, but too simple to be really dynamic or styled. For a digest sized comic, the art is an easy read but I don’t think it really adds much to the story.

I’m not sure I can really call this sci-fi as the whole story is really more contemporary and believable today than what usually would come to mind with sci-fi; much of the technology on display does or almost exists today, and many of the situations are based in contemporary culture. There’s more speculative interest placed on the influence of technology and ideas that are present today than on stuff that the writer is imagining may come tomorrow. There’s a strong element of a morality play at work too; the war in Afghanistan is used as original sin for this story. The concept for Contraband is brought back by contractors used to creating amateur videos of the violence they see, something which isn’t too far removed from the war vids that are often uploaded from witnesses to modern conflicts. (Including Afghanistan) Still, it wasn’t entirely clear what the contractors depicted in this story were meant to be doing. The narrative seems to imply that they were hired to create unrest; which seems to be an unnecessary bit of artistic license. I don’t think the writer has to make up shady elements that have little to do with the plot itself.

The most crucial element to this story is a tool called a mobile --as in a mobile phone. This bit of contemporary technology links the characters, the world, the plot, and also functions as their main tool to affect the world around them. Almost all other tools are cast aside and the characters rely almost entirely on their mobiles.

The main character comes off very much as a cipher; while this makes him harder to sympathize with, it also allows his actions to surprise and frighten the reader as the story calls for it. This character also serves as a witness to the nature of this sci-fi oriented plot rather than someone who defines it. (Although he is of course, central to the plot progression) The remaining characters are all fairly ‘grey’ due to their leanings and/or histories, but are not without some of our sympathy. The book benefits from a small cast to keep the story from losing its grip even with all the digressions. The characters are good examples of the kind of apathetic people who might frequent underground industries, and even the good ones are more mercenary or activist than hero. This is all in keeping with the down-to earth nature of any contemporary thriller.

I wonder about the accuracy of a story that shows so many mobs descending into depravity. On the one hand this plot is all based around things like the proliferation of amateur videos of war, violence, or sex, which isn’t hard to accept; but could an entire generation really rampage in this fashion? People like watching sex and violence, but doing it is another matter entirely. We live in a society of voyeurs, bystanders, and witnesses, not actors. Certainly you couldn’t commission an assassination and expect a bus load of people, (or kids) to show up to do the dirty work. It’s also arguable that such a network as Contraband wouldn’t be relying on mousey activists to shed a light on the problem. The media would be bringing the hammer down, and the police would be more paranoid and aggressive about this than suggested in the book. (Not necessarily with success mind you…)

I like how the plot exposes the viability, community, and precarious nature of internet 2.0 and I like how the plot is able to surprise and offer multiple good twists. The more I reflect on this comic, the more I like it. I think that may have been a function of the really good concept and the so-so art. It just didn’t seem as exciting while reading it as it does when thinking about it. The plot is really good and is full of surprises and revelations, and it maintains a solid fast pace even while not stupefying the science, though I didn’t care for the almost unheralded time jumping in the story. That was somewhat confusing at first. I couldn’t get emotionally involved in the story through the characters because they weren’t all that relatable. However, they were well rounded and the clever plot made the story pretty involving enough on its’ own. The whole story is very provoking and is put together well as a straight thriller in addition to the broader morality play. If you have any interest in tech thrillers or thinking men’s stories, this is worth a read.

RATING:


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