Review by Ian Keogh

D4VEocracy picks up four years after the events of D4VE2, where D4VE accidentally created a new robot president, and begins with Ryan Ferrier and Valentin Ramon producing a stunning looking parody of the Kennedy assassination as per the sample art. The homage drills down to the president’s wife dressed in pink, but Ramon’s designs for the protective armaments and associated robots are astounding. Is that really a jukebox mounted on a small tank? It’s the sort of visual creativity for which Kevin O’Neill was renowned, and continues throughout D4VEocracy.

As Earth thrashes around a little after the assassination, D4VE is experiencing his own existential crisis, not that it interferes with the satire. Robots wander around staring at glowing information globes, a teenage surfer robot is the world’s greatest influencer, and they’re in cahoots with the energy company to transfer more power to the wealthy. A new president is going to be needed, though, so why not D4VE?

Ferrier’s satire here is more targeted than on previous volumes, which are very funny, but comment more on general human behaviour. Here definite names can be put to the organisations, and while Ferrier and Ramon muddy the waters by having their corporate presidential candidate wearing a Richard Nixon hologram face, there’s little doubt as to who they’re really pointing the finger at. Also under the spotlight are biased ‘news’ channels, the manipulated debates where bluster counts for more than common sense, and faux patriotism. It’s satire, but it’s also upsetting for being true to life. However, readers who might miss the all-action D4VE are also catered for, and it’s when that takes over that D4VEocracy dips from great into just very good as it’s revealed Ferrer doesn’t have quite enough ideas to fill four chapters. The art remains excellent, though.

Eight years on from the original publication D4VEocracy seems less satire and more reality, which is a sad comment on the USA.