2019 has just begun and what better way to start it than to review a new comic book series created by Steven Aoki and Eisner Award-winning Jim Krueger.  Here are my thoughts on the first issue of Neon Future.

Before I say anymore about this, check out the comic book trailer below:

In late October of 2018, Bgeekyblog was fortunate enough to be apart of Los Angeles Comic-Con as press. While at this convention, we were introduced to a new comic book series Neon Future. I was immediately drawn in by the fact that there was a new dystopian comic on the horizon and that Steven Aoki and Jim Krueger (Justice DC Comics) were at the helm.

Now, let’s get the big question out of the way: did I like it? The answer is yes. I am not a huge comic book reader and tend to read the more obscure or darker titles. I like comic books that tell a very human story and also have a very strong concept, plot construction and character development.

Did this first issue satisfy the basics that I look for in a good story? I would say yes. Being as it is only the first issue of a new series, there is not much I can go off of or even tell you about without basically giving away all that I read. I will say that there was a nice mixture of action and dramatic story telling as well as introducing some compelling characters like Kita Sovee, the leader of Neon Future, and his arch rival, Clay Campbell.

I also found this dark, futuristic vision of what the world could become to be intriguing. The battle between the Authentics (Analogs) and the Augmented (Plugins) is a story that has been seen before, but it is a fresh take on that very story. How do two sides that hate each other and dehumanize each other reach a middle ground? That seems to be a theme that I see maturing in this series. Kita Sovee believes that there are two ways to live one’s life: way of the blade or the way of the butterfly. He himself chooses the way of the butterfly despite how members of his resistance want to follow the way of the blade. Seeing as this the first issue of a new series, it already has some strong concepts and story elements in it.

And can I say that I am a sucker for beautifully drawn comics. The artwork in this is spectacular. The colors and the vision of the future I saw in it really transported me. I really have to applaud those who worked on the graphics: Artists Neil Edwards, Jheremy Raapack, Inker Keith Champagne, and Colorist Abraham Lee. Check out the cover art in the issue I got:

Did it make me want to read more? Yes. I did want to know what was going to happen to Clay and Kita and this war that Kita says is coming. I wanted to see where this story was going to be taken and what more I could learn about Kita Sovee and the world that he inhabits.

So far, this series started out strong and I can’t wait to see what lays ahead for the story. I would definitely suggest checking it out. Will you choose the way of the blade or way of the butterfly?