I like mixing philosophy with pop culture. To me, a good Friday night is spent with a few good friends and a nice hefeweizen arguing about the ethical implications of superpowers (do yourself a favor and Google that phrase right now- hours of fun, you’re welcome). I also like seeing current issues through the lens of pop culture- science fiction was essentially invented to mirror the advancement of technology and how it could easily do humankind just as much evil as good.
The first volume of Unfollow bluntly presents its thesis in the form of a series of status updates from dying social media big shot Larry Farrell: are people essentially good, or bad? That’s a big question for a comic to handle. The premise of Unfollow is that Larry, the inventor of this story’s equivalent of Twitter, “Headspace”, will answer this question by leaving his massive fortune to 140 “characters” – get it? Specifically, 140 randomly selected users on Headspace become his heirs, and Larry makes it very clear that if any of those 140 should die- in any circumstances- their inheritance will be redistributed amongst the other heirs.
Most of the first volume is spent introducing four specific heirs: Dave, a poor kid from Ferguson; Courtney, a daredevil heiress from New York; Ravan, a rebellious reporter from Tehran; and Deacon, an off-the-grid veteran living in Alaska who thinks he can talk directly to God. If there’s one thing that writer Rob Williams does well, it’s to give his characters an authentic feel about them. Their flaws are often easier to see than their strengths, but that means that once the readers decide who to root for, they are all the more loyal. Even the enigmatic Rubinstein, Larry’s assistant who has become obsessive about “the 140”, becomes sympathetic in the few vulnerable moments he has when he removes his creepy mask.
The pacing can be unsettling; flashbacks are sprinkled in irregularly, and no particular setting sticks for long. While this can be intriguing, and is even expected to some degree when jumping from one character to another in different parts of the world, it can also be confusing. Midway through this first volume, the heirs come together on Larry’s private island, and while one might think this will last a significant amount of time, setting up any Battle Royale situations for later on in the story, it ends quite abruptly.
Artist Mike Dowling creates very distinctive characters and immersive settings. He reminds me a lot of the old “illustrated classics” I used to read as a kid- comic versions of Dickens, Bronte, and Swift that really allowed you to see the story happening as though in real life. This is essential for when, much like some of those classics, the story dips into magical realism, as with Dave’s visions of jungle cats that speak to him, or Rubinstein’s mysterious mask.
So how does Unfollow do at tackling the whole “nature of man” thing? I’ll admit, there were some moments that I didn’t see coming that really changed how I looked at the characters, but thus far I’m getting more of a mystery vibe than a morality play. It’s interesting enough that I’d read volume 2 if given the chance, but I don’t know that I’d spend a lot of time or money seeking it out. However, if you’re a fan of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, or Blacklist-esque conspiracies, this may be right up your alley.
