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If you are reading this column, Im going to take a great leap of
logic and assume that you have access to the Internet. Chances
are that many of you have also spent a great deal of time on the
Internet, possibly to the point that someone around you has
questioned it. As a self-admitting online junkie I can definitely
understand the way that the Internet can get you wrapped up in
a whole new digital world to the point where the outside world
seems like a massive inconvenience. Its been several years
now, but I can still remember back to the days when I would
borrow my dads laptop on the weekends and log on to talk
with people from all around the world with similar interests to my
own. It was an amazing escape but at the same time there was a
danger to it. When you can enter a world that you essentially
have control over, where you can explore your own personality
and put forward the best aspects, how could you not fall in love
with it?
Devin Kalile Grayson has put out a new mini-series through
Vertigo titled User which explores the experiences of a woman,
Meg, who finds herself entranced by an online role-playing
game. The painted art duties on the book are split between
Sean Phillips, handling the real world, and John Bolton, handling
the online gaming world. A stark contrast is created between
the fairly monochromatic color scheme used by Phillips and the
bright, yet gritty style used by Bolton. Visually, the book is one
of the most impressive sequential pieces Ive seen in many years.
Having tried both Gotham Knights and Titans I havent been
incredibly impressed with Graysons work in the past. While I
liked some aspects of the characterization, the ongoing plots did
little to interest me. With User, Grayson has crafted a story that
had me entranced and dying to read the next chapter. Grayson
captures the delight and urgency Meg feels towards the online
world yet keeps the serious nature of the real world ever present
in the background. During the online segments the outside world
frequently interjects and Megs frustration and desire to brush
off the outside world ring very true.
The themes of chivalry and heroism are also put forward in this
first chapter, no doubt to be expanded upon in the future. Meg
seems fascinated by the idea of heroism while in the online world
and even in a board meeting, yet overlooks the possible sexual
abuse of her sister. While it is possible for a person to be heroic
in the environment of an online game, is it as simple when a
situation arises in the real world?
Perhaps I am placing too much of my own experience into my
reading of User, but the character of Meg is one I can relate to
in many ways and reflects the experiences of myself and many
others I have met online. Upon reading the first issue, I feel that
this series is essential reading for everyone who has spent a
period of their life dwelling excessively on the Internet, or even
dabbled in the Internet for that matter. A great number of
studies have been conducted on the relationship between
Internet use and its affects on people, yet there has been very
little done creatively with the subject. While I hesitate to call this
series a masterpiece having only read the first chapter, at this
point I would at least consider this series a breakthrough work in
literature.
J
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