Remember the last time you watched a sci-fi movie or read a sci-fi book that blew your mind while at the same time chilling you to your core because it was such a poignant and intelligent look at our society and where we might be headed, not just as a culture but as a species?...Yeah, me neither. Then I read The Surrogates by Robert Venditti & Brett Weldele.

If you're a fan of the genre that really should be enough for you to run screaming madly to your nearest comic book shop only to be disappointed because it is nowhere to be found on the shelves in between the newest issue of Superman and Thunderbolts (Commentary on American comic-shops not on "The Big Two" but hate-mail is better than an empty inbox so go right ahead). If you find yourself in this situation don't worry because salvation is one its way in the form of Bruce Willis. The self-nuking superstar has been cast for the film adaptation and I can imagine the book will be decidedly more available as soon as his grizzled visage lights up the silver screen, but buy then you'll have to by the copy of the book with the gigantic "Now a Major Motion Picture!" logo on it and no one will believe you if you tell them you liked it before it was a movie potentially solidifying your coolness among your peers forever. In short it would behoove you just get it now rather than later.

But now I should talk about the actual book because it was fantastic. In the year 2054 there have been some changes. Instead of living their lives people use remote-controlled robotic bodies called myspace profi-- I mean, surrogates, to interact in the world. Someone starts forcibly deactivating the surrogates and an investigation begins. The detectives assigned to the case uncover the true motivations of the attacker while reevaluating their own roles within this "Brave New World". No typo there, I really am comparing this to Aldous Huxely. The story does have a glaring problem though, it's basically well written enough that it's difficult to decide who's right or wrong and requires some actual thought on the part of the reader. To further add to the experience each issue ends with a Watchmen style extra text piece. If a character is handed a pamphlet for a new surrogate, you get to read that pamphlet; if a character scans a newspaper article during a scene, you have access to the whole article a few pages down the road. Excellent pacing, masterful plotting and an ending I will spare the use of adjectives on, just to leave your mind as untainted as possible for maximum enjoyment.

Now onto the artwork, which many reviewers gloss over because art is subjective and, frankly, it's easier to talk about a story than talk about art but I was so impressed by Brett Weldele that I'm really going to try and do his panels justice. To write about visuals it's easiest for me to compare it to something similar so people can form some nice juicy images in their mind's eye. This may be a cop-out for actual description but it's a good way to set a template nonetheless so here goes, Ben Templesmith on Fell. Yeah, I went there, because it's that good. It's unique and wonderful in its own right but there are similarities in the all the right places. The pages are dense with panels each one worthy of examination. The character design is great and of critical importance considering the story is about how people would choose to look if they could customize and idealize their own appearance. Finally, the colors, also by Wedele, had a wonderfully pixilated quality unlike anything I've seen before in the medium but they superbly set the atmosphere for a story told through the actions of robotic humaniforms.

The back of the graphic novel is full of nice extras like Weldele's covers, pinups by other artists, including one by Templesmith, and surrogate advertisements that look legitimate enough to be seen on any billboard. The Surrogates presents readers with a glimpse into the future that artfully touches upon nearly every aspect of modern living without being preachy or anti-progressionist. This is one of those books you can shove into the hands of people who've never read a comic and say "This is how good comics can be." (or, to paraphrase the book itself, "Comics...only better".)

Vital Stats:

Author: Robert Venditti

Artist: Brett Weldele

Publisher: Top Shelf

Price: $19.95