From the hands of Scott Snyder and Francis Manapul comes Clear, a challenging science fiction noir story set in a dystopian cyberpunk future published by Norma Editorial.
Science fiction is full of dystopian futures that are so enticing from a consumer perspective that it’s terrifying when we consider how close we might one day come to experiencing them. One of the more recent stories of this kind to reach us in comic form is Clear, written by Scott Snyder and illustrated by Frances Manapool, an enviable duo for creative work published by Norma Editorial.
A technological dystopia
Blade Runner, Matrix, Neuromancer, Minority Report or Strange Days are some of the works that went through the minds of Snyder and Manapul while developing this story, whether we are talking about the plot, the double reading or the setting. As such, in Clear we are in the near future (the year 2052) of high-tech, low-life, which has given us so much pleasure in fiction in the past.
The United States lost a world war against the combined forces of China, North Korea, and Russia. The American dream is dead. The reality only calls for despair, depression and frustration. And as is often the case, no matter what time we find ourselves in, there are always people who can take advantage of the misery of others. This is how new advanced technology is developed to solve these social problems, even though it can be very expensive.
Now that brain chips like Neuralink or Synchron are just around the corner, the implant presented to us here under the name Velo seems even more plausible than it did a few years ago. It is putting a filter on the reality that people want to stop torturing the minds of citizens and see the world in a relaxed way. The first step of a good fascist leader is to make his people patient and happy, oblivious to the evils that harm their neighbors and themselves.
But just as there are weirdos who statistically don’t swallow what the masses swallow, there is a clear way for the consumer to see things as they really are.
Future life
Our main character, Sam Duns, is a tough private investigator who uses this neat mode, an ex-police officer who makes a living by hunting down illegal mask users, such as those that can be shared by multiple users at once (like Netflix passwords but in a cyberpunk style) or that change your partner’s appearance without her knowledge. But this anodyne routine changes when his ex-wife’s suicide crosses his path…
The boy’s mother was not one of those who took the easy way out, and with this premise the investigation begins, we have all the elements of a good noir, including the sound of a loudspeaker, the presence of some thugs. Cue the detective, a tragic past that constantly haunts him, and a femme fatale whose true motives we don’t fully know until we reach the depths of the final rabbit hole…
Snyder succeeds in developing such a complex plot. He was able to create a character that moves in shades of gray and is realistic, a sick society where we find more similarities than one might think, and a balanced mix of genres at any time.
Lysergic Cyberpunk
Painting this work should be a joy for the abstract person who gives himself completely to the problem. Manapul is already known to be a great artist, as he’s made clear in his various works at DC Comics (notably highlighting his work on The Flash), but here he goes a step further to show the versatility of his style and his talent for the time. Above all, to create complex page layouts that respect narrative clarity.
We’re seeing complex action scenes on different pages and through different covers, although it looks like at least three or four different artists are collaborating, with Manapul changing in each panel (or more than one at a time). vignette!) to provide visually stunning results. A visual delight.
This edition by Norma Editorial is a 20.5 x 31.3 cm page size in hardcover without dust jacket. and contains a translation of the first edition of the work as well as a small final section with alternative covers. The volume contains 160 color pages. It has a recommended retail price of €36 and goes on sale in February 2024.
Clear
Scott Snyder returns with an impressive work on Blade Runner and The Matrix with special art by Francis Manapul.
In the recent past, the United States has lost its wars with China and Russia. Big companies have developed revolutionary new technology to prevent the public from facing the harsh reality of the present.
Thanks to a brain implant called the Veil, everything the user sees can be changed according to their preferences, although the reality beneath the veil remains the same. There’s no limit to what you’ll see: from 1950s Hollywood glamor to cartoons to pure pornography, but what appears to be a fantastic creation hides terrifying secrets.
Sam Duns is an ex-police officer turned private detective who follows an illegal undercover and lives in Clear mode. But everything gets complicated when he has to investigate a suicide: none other than his ex-wife. And Sam knows she’ll never take her life…
Scott Snyder (Batman: Court of Owls) delivers a story that successfully blends the noir genre and science fiction to make us ponder the important dilemmas of our time. All of this is illustrated by the amazing art of Francis Manapool (The Flash).
Autores: Scott Snyder and Francis Manapul