ALEX AND ADA: VOL. 1

by Jonathan Luna (Author), Sarah Vaughn (Illustrator)

Joe’s dog jumped in the swimming pool. Everyone who reads that will picture a different dog and a different pool and probably none of them will be what the author of that sentence had in mind. In comics readers all share the vision that the writer and comic book artist intended. Alex and Ada understands this difference and uses it beautifully. Alex and Ada is the story of a lonely young man who is given an expensive android for a companion. However, he decides to release her to freedom when he is uncomfortable “owning” something that he feels deserves a life richer than the one she was designed for. One might expect Alex and Ada to be set in a glittering, complicated place designed to have us imagine how different a world populated by androids would be. But the sparse, clean and realistic lines of Alex and Ada show the reader that intricate ethical conundrums are compelling enough on their own and do not require a flashy setting. The simple illustrations reflect a deeply complicated and emotionally moving story. Experiencing the story in a setting that allows you to identify “futuristic” plot lines with your own life allows you to fully consider the implications of “our freedoms” in a technologically advanced age not entirely unlike our own.