Blue Fox Comics have been one of the most consist indie comics publishers around and with their newest book hitting the campaign trail I had to visit the first issues of their System Error release.
Comic creator Phil Chapman brings us a sci-fi world devoid of any humans as the story centres on tourist robot ITTO as he awakes to find a very different London from the one it was expecting. This cute robot still has a purpose to achieve that fits in with his existing purpose but after replacing his power source and uploading the latest software he has a new role to play in the fractured world he finds himself in.
With this new purpose his journey seems to have a new destination and he begins to get a glimpse of the wider world with the ruins of existence he finds along the way. The emptiness is soon challenged with the arrival of a fellow robot survivor and while they keep each other company along the way they are soon face-to-face with much more hostile robots who are dead set on stripping them for parts.
The cutesy robots are a disarming set of central characters but with that comes a hook into the world that’s being created before us. That then acts as a slick counter-balance to the ruthless robots that are ready to rip their way through the central pairing and that element of risk becomes very tangible, very quickly. The story is reminiscent of many other robot focused stories (think the likes of Wall-E or Silent Running) but there’s a definite difference here when the communications between robots are so logical and matter-of-fact. Even within that there’s an honesty that firmly places you on their side from the off.
That sense of connection is bolstered further with artwork that blends the familiar and the unknown seamlessly and over the course of the two issues Phil manages to combine every aspect into a series that is far greater than the sum of it’s parts. Engaging, exciting and ultimately rewarding with a story & world that evokes a flood of different emotions as things unfold it’s hard not to be swept up by the story over the course of the first two issues. This leaves me longing for the rest of this six issue series and it’s yet another Blue Fox Comics title that I have to shout about.
You can pick the third issue in this series as well as the previous two at the campaign link below:
You can also check out more from Blue Fox Comics through the links below too:
Blue Fox Comics – Twitter, Online Store
9/10
G-Man
COMICS ANONYMOUS 