Review by Frank Plowright
In the near future San Francisco Bibiana Lopez-Yang is a war veteran experiencing survivor’s guilt and one of the few able to access counselling. Morrow, a private company and their guardian bots are contracted to ensure the safety of citizens, but they’re hardly soft touch, and given free reign beyond official control, positively encouraging brutality. Bibi, meanwhile narrates directly to readers along with knowing looks, and we quickly learn she has her own methods for fighting off gangs, electrical powers and a big robot suit, and there’s even more to it than that. It’s a novel twist on Rogue Trooper.
Readers are either going to love or hate Bibi breaking the fourth wall. For Melissa Flores it’s a convenient method of explaining to the audience, while also playing into the weirdness she’s created for Bibi, but the annoying aspect is that in-story it’s a real world thing and Bibi’s friends comment on her talking to herself. Put that to one side, and Flores builds a neighbourhood and a situation drawing readers in, yet without presenting all aspects of Morrow as obvious evil caricature.
It’s set not too far into the future credibly designed by French Carlomagno, but The Dead Lucky is also designed as a pointed warning about letting control slip too far away from ordinary people. The evil corporation exists today, but its fictional extrapolations tend to be too much the caricature. Here, though, while there is the power-crazy boss, Morrow is humanised by people offering differing viewpoints as to their intentions.
Carlomagno is an eye-catching artist when it comes to designing people and their surroundings, and he delivers some great action scenes, but what really sets The Dead Lucky apart is the colours of Mattia Iacono. A dark future is brightly delivered, and it’s very distinctive.
Thought has been given to Bibi’s military experience, and what plays out is dependent on that. There’s an unpredictable ending, with a continuation due, and what’s been delivered here has definite promise.
