Mosely is a new series from the mind of Rob Guillory, who also brought us Chew and Farmhand. He returns to blend sci-fi and social commentary in a story that, if you’re above the age of 30, you’ll likely connect with. I say that because Mosely is largely about how technology is changing our lives on a daily basis, and this should resonate with anyone old enough to remember the days with little to no technology in their life
It’s worth noting Mosely is not an anti-technology narrative. Far from it, but it is a warning, especially when technology is collecting our information, tracking our every movement, and being billed as “free” yet taking up so much of our time. It opens with a man named Marvin Mosley leaving his family behind to work on a project to assist in developing an AI, but by the end, that very same man is far older and ready to fight the techno-gods humanity has put in place of government. One can surmise there’s a superhero story hiding in the narrative, but the overarching themes of the dangers of technology are present.
Nestled in between, that short synopsis is a mystery. It’s unclear what Marvin was doing with the robot, for instance, or how the world has come to this. One can guess Marvin had something to do with it–and maybe that’s why he’s estranged from his family–and that mystery drives the narrative forward.
Guillory and artist Sam Lotfi take their time with Mosely, not quite making clear what the story will be about but instead showing and not telling. That’s a breath of fresh air in an age when comics can be heavy with exposition and even heavier in making clear their intentions. The story flows nicely as we follow Marvin from a loving parent who thinks he’s doing the right thing for his family and is seemingly important to a solitary janitor who openly rejects how the world has become so tightly connected with technology.
As we progress, we see Marvin’s daughter experience virtual reality with no limits, and he doesn’t like what he sees. He’s disconnected from her, though, and has little say in her life. He’s powerless over her and really over his entire life.
A robot that can piss itself. Weird!
Credit: BOOM!
We see how the world has changed along the way, turning into a techno-religious cult. Humanity relies on tech, literally praying to techno-gods called Techno-Celestials. There’s just enough told via captions and the way of life depicted in Marvin’s daily life to show how far the future has developed for better or worse.
That’s aided by Lotfi and color artist Jean-Francois Beaulieu’s colors as we see Marvin walk across a street. The futuristic skyscrapers can be seen in the distance, with people on their screens and even cyborg tech gracing a homeless man’s eye. It’s not so advanced to be impossible to see this future coming to be, but advanced enough to show things have really changed.
The world-building could use a little more fleshing out, but I’m sure more issues will help in that regard. One example of this is what looks like a baby in a flying baby carriage ordering two robot-guards to steal something from Marvin. Yes, even babies can wield tech, but how on earth could a young child be allowed to roam about with killer robots? It’s a cultural shift, or this baby is a character of some kind of power that isn’t explained.
I’m excited to learn more about the world introduced in Mosley #1. A social commentary about technology taking over our lives, this series offers a new sci-fi world well worth exploring. Mosley has the makings of a personal story worth investing in about the horrors of advancing technology.
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