Move over Lois Lane, here comes Kirby Kuo! The current state of magazine publishing gets the spotlight in Exploit #1, written by Tim Leong and Laura Hudson with art by Emiliana Pinna and colors by Rebecca Good.
Much like our current state of things, wealthy billionaires are buying up all the news outlets so they can replace them with AI-generated news that’s more propaganda than facts. Enter Kirby Kuo, a thirty-something intern (yes, she’s still an intern, but she’s trying!) looking to write her first big story for RIOT Magazine. But billionaire Cole Saxon and his software corporation Datum might put an end to RIOT and Kirby’s career before she can even get started.
Wow, does this story feel so real and a hundred percent on point with how scary things are these days. Even as I read this issue, a news alert popped up on my phone that Paramount had bought Warner Bros. (along with all of Warner Bros. subsidiaries like CNN and HBO MAX). The result of this will ultimately be tons of people laid off, fewer options for viewers and more streaming platforms and news networks that will be manipulated and controlled by a handful of people. Kirby’s world is much the same as ours, making her frustrations relatable.
Writers Tim Leong and Laura Hudson make Kirby a multi-faceted character and they take their time introducing us to her circle of friends, including her agoraphobic roommate Lenox, who promises to be one of the more interesting characters in the book besides Kirby. The scene where Kirby and Lenox are just chilling on the roof of their apartment building, discussing the events of the day, is my favorite scene in the book. I love when we get to see these moments of downtime, when the characters aren’t in the middle of a crisis or racing away or towards a life-threatening event.
As Kirby works relentlessly on a story that will bring Cole Saxon down, there’s a heavy feeling of paranoia throughout. Billionaire Cole Saxon (who seems to be a more macho version of Elon Musk) looms over every scene in the book and he comes off quite menacing. With his corporation Datum having cutting-edge technology, no place ever feels safe. Any store monitors or traffic cams could be under his purview. He’ll be a great villain for the series.
Yes, evil billionaires may be close to being cliché plot devices these days, but we have so many of them in the real world, why not include them in fiction also? If you’re in the mood for a great thriller filled with fascinating characters, check out Exploit #1.
