Our Pre-Order Pick: I BREATHED A BODY

OUR PRE-ORDER PICK:  I BREATHED A BODY 

I BREATHED A BODY (Aftershock Comics, January 2021 release) Writer: Zac Thompson. Artist: Andy MacDonald.  Colors: Triona Farrell. Letters: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. Pre-order Issue #1 by December 28, 2020.

Weird horror. Death as spectacle. Per writer Zac Thompson - - “Think Clive Barker’s HELLRAISER meets David Fincher’s SOCIAL NETWORK.”

POP CULTURE PODIUM EDITOR MIKE CLARKE’S NOTE: I was lucky enough to receive an advance review copy of the first two issues of I BREATHED A BODY, courtesy of writer Zac Thompson. I’m a regular reader and viewer of horror in literature, comics and film so I’m not exactly easy to scare. However, the images and storyline of this comic brought inklings of agitation and dread back to the frontlines.

      I wasn’t sure how to write about this and do it justice. In fact, some of the earlier adverts in the Previews catalog and other sources didn’t give a clear picture of what the story was about. That strikes me as ironic, that a comic about the harmful influence of social media might fail to find its’ proper audience. 

      It was not until recently that the Aftershock Comics website revealed more about this upcoming book, due to hit comic shop shelves on January 20, 2021. Now that I’ve absorbed that and read the first two issues, I strongly recommend this book and urge you to pre-order your copy before the final cut-off date of Monday, December 28 for Issue #1.

    Do you enjoy comics that dabble in weird horror and explore the full potential of this graphic medium to tell a compelling and frightening story? Do you prefer a dash of relevance and social commentary in that mix?  

     Then, you should be reading the work of Zac Thompson. First, with LONELY RECEIVER relating a love affair with a holographic smartphone app, and now with I BREATHED A BODY and its’ mix of social media with supernatural horror - - Thompson has his finger on a throbbing pulse.

     As the author reveals,“before coming to comics, I worked with YouTube influencers for years. I was a video producer creating content and attempting to leverage the labyrinthine algorithms that keep viewers engaged.” 

    

      “Since then, the landscape of social media has changed for the worse,” Thompson explained. “This series will explore the ramifications of our collective moral outrage, its role in society, how/if it can affect change, and what it means to worship content above all else. If nothing is famous for longer than five minutes, does anything matter anymore?”

     I BREATHED A BODY is, according to the writer, “a supernatural horror book set in Silicon Valley about the voyeurism of violence. Thanks to social media, we’ve become prepared to see death and despair at any moment. Modern social networks are a relentless barrage of provocative content designed to keep us outraged, engaged, and fearful. This book is an indictment of the Big Tech companies who engender and profit from this vitriolic environment.”

 This is a complex story. By that, I don’t mean that it’s hard to understand - - on the contrary. However, multiple readings reveal more layers. There is more going on than what appears on the surface, things that are hinted at in subtle ways, from weird fungal images to curious choices of words in the dialogue. Sometimes it seems as if the narrator in the text boxes is not the same person as shown in the panels. I’ve read the preview issues several times and each time I return something new catches my attention. It’s going to be really interesting to see where Thompson leads us. 

  The story revolves around the sprawling business empire of entrepreneur Bramwell Caliban. As his biotechnology firms bring changes to the landscape, he also endeavors to redesign the internet and remake social media. The MyCena network out-faces Facebook for views and generates massive amounts of revenue for Caliban. 

  His son, Mylo Caliban, is a MyCee sensation amassing tons of followers hanging onto his every word and posts. Mylo is a bit of a megalomaniac, with a reputation for outrageous stunts on his live feed. He once threw a dummy off a bridge, faking his viewers into believing it real. It caused a tragic accident. “400 million subscribers gaslit into believing anything.”

  During a company dinner, Mylo has a dispute with his father over his deceased mother and leaves in a rage. He vents to his viewers on a live feed, and thinking himself a god, he makes a huge error. Naturally, his actions drive his fans ecstatic and this gains him even more views and followers. 

  

  How to manage this calamity is left to the two most empathetic characters of I BREATHED A BODY, at least for now: Anne and Dalton. I realize it’s possible I could end up disliking them before this is over. I already know I can’t relate to either Bramwell or Mylo, despite how well their characters are defined here.

Anne is the social media manager for Bramwell, charged with controlling the impulsive urges of Mylo and capitalizing on them via MyCee for monetary returns. Dalton manages the video production, website and media feeds. Anne is disguising her true name and nature, running from her past while trying her hardest to gain more “equity” within the Caliban empire.  Dalton’s huge physical appearance seems odd for a video tech, and there could be more to his role than revealed so far. 

   The art by Andy MacDonald is expressive, graphic and disturbing. Just as his work on ROGUE PLANET (Oni Press) helped to illuminate the fear and strangeness of Cullen Bunn's story, it serves the same purpose here, enhancing the proceedings and ramping up the uneasiness.

   In Issue #2, Anne is given the challenge of monetizing Mylo’s accident for even more views and more media power for Bramwell.  The live posts become even more grotesque and graphic, and the subsequent views become astronomical. 

   Poor Mylo’s insides are turned out for all to see. He’s become nothing more than an ornament, a decoration. Everything about him becomes live-streamed.  Anne prepares the marketing campaign for vials of his blood (“only $119.99”). Bramwell suggests something even more disgusting for the next livestream, sure to drive up views and revenues. 

    As if that wasn’t enough, there are secondary plots developing that will most likely sprout during succeeding issues, such as:

• The strange events immediately following Mylo’s birth, and why he has worn an odd necklace ever since.

• Why is there a giant mushroom appearing in the cityscape, nestled beside the Caliban skyscraper?

• What is being grown in Bramwell’s basement kitchen to foster his weird dietary habits. Why does he insist on carving, cooking and serving his meaty delicacies to staff and shareholders during business meetings?

I am thoroughly spooked by the possibilities here. I can’t look away; and I can’t stop following this.