LA 2041.
A NASA probe brings back a strange disease, resulting in inanimate objects – childhood toys, mannequins and the like – coming to life, taking on the personalities of the people who owned them and forming a new minority class called ‘Non-Humans’. 26 years later and they’re demanding civil rights, whilst our ‘hero’ Detective Aimes is chasing an assassin, a serial killer – victim 22 was his partner – and struggling to be anything more than a ‘five minute father’. Aimes has some serious issues, least of all, the loss of his right eye, which I’m betting a Non-Human took. He’s rather unsavoury too.
Penned by Glen Brunswick (Gray Area, Jersey Gods) with artwork by one of Image Comics’ founding fathers, Whilce Portacio (Artifacts, Punisher, Uncanny X-Men), whose “boundless enthusiasm” has returned and feels “there are no limits to what we can do with this story”. I’m inclined to agree.
This issue benefits from being 32 pages; it’s crammed full of material and ideas. What it achieves is incredible – defining non-humans, where they came from, their effects on our future world, whilst introducing likeable characters in the form of Aimes new partner, Detective Eden, and Detective Medic – the only Non-Human detective on the force; think Star Trek TNG’s Data, when channelling Sherlock Holmes.
Non-Humans #1 is worth a punt – consider this a tentative thumbs-up.
Non-Humans is released this week, October 3rd 2012.
Mark Brassington 