Review by Frank Plowright

A woman is seen being shot, but the wound that kills her is strangely shaped, and it’s discovered that her retinal scans match those of two different women. Officer Milo Deckman was on the scene at the time, and becomes embroiled in the puzzles the case poses.

Retina is a complex crime thriller set in 2080, which serves up an immediate problem. Artist Philippe Scoffoni, so good in so many respects, shows how technology has improved, but the clothing, infrastructure and surroundings could be the Los Angeles of today. Urban progress is gradual, but did the Los Angeles of 2015 look barely different from the Los Angeles of 1950? It’s not as if Scoffoni is workshy. The panels are detailed, often a high number of them to the page, and when the actions shifts away from Los Angeles the art is equally sumptuous.

The puzzles of Retina don’t stop there. Benoît Rivière has plotted a taut action thriller well planned to drop the disclosures gradually, but with very few changes it could be set in the present day, so avoiding the disappointment of the trappings. Despite that, though, the assorted people introduced, the continued killings and the brick walls Milo comes up against ensure the pages turn.

While Milo is the central presence, Rivière introduces several other parties and spends time with them, largely as they attempt to prevent some complications from spinning out of control. The cast are credible with one major exception never adequately explained. Their fighting skills could just about pass without delving further, but a fundamental decision they make goes without comment, as does their spending a year in another identity, so juggling two lives. Because Retina is so dependent on the original puzzle everything has to be tied into it whether or not it fits well, and it leads to some crunching of the gears.

Retina has some good ideas and some good art, but really needed better planning.