The Surrogates

The Surrogates
written by Robert Venditti; art by Brett Weldele [741.5 Ven]

This graphic novel was the inspiration for the 2009 movie starring Bruce Willis. There are also thematic elements similar to plot points in the hit film Avatar. Set 40+ years in the future, the invention of remote controlled bodies -- Surrogates -- has allowed human beings to live a more secure, protected life. There's no more threat to you personally, if you're living your life through a remote-controlled body. However...throw in a religious movement that finds Surrogates sacreligious, and a madman using a surrogate to steal the components that will allow him to "turn off" all Surrogates in an entire city simultaneously, and you've got a science fiction/conspiracy/murder mystery story that's quite thought provoking. I enjoyed the story in this very much. My only complaint is that the highly-stylized art (by Brett Weldele) is SO stylized that it often is muddy and incomprehensible. Nevertheless, for a story about something that's rather cold and heartless, this one's got a very "human" storyline at its core. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ Wikipedia page for The Surrogates ] | [ Robert Venditti at the Comic Book Database ]

Have you read this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.