A new beginning has arrived for fresh company to comics at Wondercon and it’s called Impact Theory. The company showcased their high profile flagship comic collaboration with Internationally famed DJ, Steve Aoki, and Eisner-Awarded comic writer Jim Krueger.
Walking into the main halls at Wondercon, attendees would constantly pause in front of the huge banner at the Impact Theory booth as the artistically portrayed version of Steve Aoki stared out above them. Each stunned attendee was then provided with a free copy of the first issue of Neon Future.
We were able to spend a few moments speaking Tom Bilyeau, Founder of Impact Theory, and the force of bringing all of this together. From spending over a decade building a business at Quest Nutrition, Tom Bilyeu created a content series called Impact Theory to interview and tap into the minds of entrepreneurs.
One of the guests at Impact Theory was Steve Aoki. The first association that comes to mind for Aoki is DJ. For those unfamiliar with his career outside of DJ-ing, this comic collaboration seems teetering in from nowhere. As we came to understand with interviewing Tom Bilyeu, Founder of Impact Theory, it was all through the magic of shared ideas and effective networking.
Seconds into the interview, it was easy to see why he was interviewing. Coming off of the 2016 Netflix documentary series, “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead,” Aoki is not one to fit into any norms or follow any standards. Inspired by Aoki’s ideas of being frozen cryogenically, Bilyeau began to create the idea for the comic series. Fueled by Aoki’s vision for the future, it was only a simple meetup with Jim Krueger over food that connected him to the project. Krueger (Justice) had won the Eisner Award for Best Graphic Novel and has his own publishing company. Neither force is complacent in energy or projects.
Steve Aoki is pretty synonymous with interesting collaborations even with his music. He just recently released a collaboration with Kpop group, Monsta X. Expanding upon his thoughts with comic book media it’s not too much of a stretch. Aoki and Krueger are two high profile names in two different medias. Bilyeau was the connector to further overlap and blur these boundaries.
Looking back into Aoki’s music collaboration and other projects, the term “Neon Future” is peppered about. How does this connect to a comic or is it just merely a name?
Synopsis from Neon Future:
Nearly thirty years from now, in response to a global economic crisis, the U.S. has enacted Article 10, commonly known as “The Return,” which made all advanced technologies illegal. The Return promised to create jobs by eliminating the technology that had displaced so many workers through automation. But the lasting result has been an increase in the class divide, blatant bigotry, and a war between the Augmented, who have chosen to integrate technology into their bodies, and the Authentic, who have not. Out of the systematic oppression of the techno-class, a resistance movement known as Neon Future was born.
“Neon Future” turns out to be a literal interpretation. The world between the pages is a very stylized and gorgeous interpretation of this future of the urban city at war between Augmented and Authentic. Although framed by dark, the pages still contain vibrant colors and neon highlights.
The issue begins right in the middle of this war with the sudden death of Clay Campbell, a vocal figurehead against the Augmented. We don’t why or how but he is dead. Until Kita Sovee (who is pretty much Steve Aoki) brings him to life with the use of technology. Now Campbell is on the run with the mysterious message of being aware of his choices: “to be the blade or be the butterfly.”
The art and the writing is smooth. So smooth that it took a couple of more readings to realize that I didn’t really learn much from this issue. It was the barest of glimpses into this world and into this war. The comic already begins pretty biased as the narrator obviously sides with the Augmented and immediately casts anger upon the Authentic.
Assuming that future issues will explain the animosity between both, I do not side with either party. It is mentioned that Authentic are frustrated as their positions and livelihood have been overwhelmed by technology. Apparently, since we are not shown, the Augmented claim that the Authentic have been the reason for so much violence and death. It’s insinuated that the Authentic are heavy oppressors and most likely the dominant class. It doesn’t seem that class is being pointed at, since both sides clearly have enough money to dole out their decisions. So it’s not about money, it’s about principle.
Quite honestly, the Augmented have made a pretty poor display of their benevolence and need for peace. They took a dead man, forced technological items on him, who was unaware of all this, and then immediately forced him to flee for his life. He not only has to grasp that he’s back to being alive but also what does Kita mean about being a butterfly or a blade?
From watching his videos, Aoki’s influence is pretty strong. There is a definite “us” versus “them” mentality in a futuristic, industrial aesthetic. Technically, the writing and art is fantastic and worthy of great notice. Hopefully the idea of this “Neon Future” will be fleshed out out more in future issues.
Neon Future #1 is out now at your comic book stores or at Comixology.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsyAS_FKiIk
