Previously…
Not too long ago I had heard of a comic called Tech Watch,
created by writer Radi Lewis and published by his Chameleon Creations imprint.
It was a sci-fi, espionage book with cool art and a promising story, so when I
got my cash up I sprung for a copy to see what the deal was.
Situation
At the beginning of the book, we
find ourselves witnessing a raid in progress. The black ops mercenary group
known as the A.N.T.S(Assault. Nano. Tech. Soldiers) led by Isaiah Grey
infiltrate the laboratory of Dr. Sebastian Lyons who possesses technology that,
is important to Isaiah's research. Initially, Isaiah had asked Lyons to join
his organization to pool their knowledge, but the good doctor refused prompting
the invasion. With a gun to his head and the A.N.T.S surrounding him Dr. Lyons
is dead to rights, or is he, as the team search his lab and find no way to interface with his computers. What's worse there the doctor can't be threatened, with Isaiah doing his best not to give Lyons a
lead lobotomy, the doctor unveil his master stroke. He unleashes a virus, which
begins to eat away at the A.N.T.S hard drive in their HQ known as the ‘Hive'.
Fed up with Sebastian's defiance, Isaiah executes him, copies the knowledge
directly from the doctors brain and exits. That is where the real story starts
as eight months later someone or something takes Isaiah's base in the Arctic
Circle offline, someone looking for revenge.
Story
Radi Lewis, paints the portrait of a man willing to do anything
he has to get what he want in this Spy-Fi epic, however it is not made clear
why the reader should be invested. Isaiah Grey reminds me of a cross between Nino
Brown and Lex Luthor. I wouldn't consider either man endearing, but both have
their complexities and reasons why we love to hate them. I wish I could love to
hate Isaiah, but I just can't seem to be bothered. His braggadocio and lust for power are fine, but
they're surface, and back story is much-needed. Dr. Lyons seems like he could
have been an interesting character but dies too early and we eventually learn
he wanted the same thing as Grey and that's world domination. That sort of
character was great for the Golden and Silver ages of comics, but in the post
Moore-Miller era, fans call for characters of depth, be they hero, villain or
anti-hero. The large amount of exposition in the beginning of the story doesn't
help either, as the reason for the Arctic Circle trip could've been illustrated in a few pages instead of explained out
right. Tech Watch however does end off on a bit of a cliff hanger and though
it's only mentioned a few times the H.A.R.D.W.A.R.E project seems intriguing
enough to stay with the story.
Pictures
Tech Watch has to be one of the most professionally
illustrated independent comics I have ever read. Ernesto Vicente does a great
job of capturing the scale of this story from the tech to the facial
expressions. The head’s up displays look like something out of a Philip K. Dick
novel and makes me wish that this kind of tech existed now. While Mike Borromeo
makes the sleek, chrome sheen of the future shine, with dark tones and glossy
finishes. This is the level of art, by which all indie creators, black or
otherwise should judge their work.
The Real
I love reading comics by black creators, however they
usually feel rushed and unfinished. Tech Watch doesn’t feel rushed per say, but
there is a sense that more time could’ve been put into the character
development. I am not saying that this is a bad comic, it has potential and
would probably read very well as a trade paper back, but as of the first issue
there are very few things keeping me invested in the story. If you’d like to
pick up a copy of Tech Watch, go to chameleoncreationsllc.com, Amazon.com, Comixology
or your local comic book shop.
Rating: 3/5
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