Aeon Flux

Aeon Flux

by Mike Kennedy, Timothy Green II (Artist)

Four hundred years in the future, the last of Humanity will live behind the protective walls of Bregna, an idyllic utopia built to shelter them from the deadly jungle growing beyond. Life in Bregna is perfect, or as perfect as the government can make the people believe. But not everyone is fooled by their mood-altering propaganda - a small band of freedom fighters wish to see things change, and they just might manage to pull off this impossible dream with the help of their top secret agent, the sexy, deadly Aeon Flux. As Bregnan authorities prepare a new weapon to use against the jungle pounding at their walls, Aeon prepares to turn their plans against them. But this time she is not alone - she has been instructed to train a new agent, a fiery young woman named Sithandra, who may not be all that she appears.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels Manga, Graphic Novels Comics, Tv

96 pages, Paperback

First published May 17, 2006

Reviews

[Ill D · Rating 2 out of 5]

Aeon Flux would have been better (sub)titled (at least) Rebel without a Cause because that's exactly what the story amounts to. Nothing more. And nothing less.

Nope, no (Marlon) Brando here, but rather a female protagonist who (pro)actively was meant to resemble Charleze Theron. Unlike Princess Leia, she's just another cog in the machine of an irritatingly vague rebellion against the state of Bergen. And all the more irritating is that she's not even given here name except in the dust jacket.

Just as the just jacket(s) give more info on the main character, they actually end up doing a (far) better job of explaining the story's arc overall. A couple of paragraphs (otherwise merely ingratiating to advertising) are better story tellers than Mike Kennedy. How peculiar. How dumb.

It seemed particularly dumb until I discovered that the (animated) series was originally spun on MTV. This vacuous story seems perfect fare for an audience just as brainlessly deserving. Wah.

Just as my interest in the comic swiftly waned from mildly interested to the completely uninterested so to was the main character's motivation. As she states in the last issue responding to her sister's inquisition concerning her involvement in the rebellion, "I don't know. But O'm sure it's for the greater good."
Double Wah.

Mike Kennedy has managed to forge a comic so completely insipid and vacuous it has about as much charm as a slab of concrete. Only saved by decent, yet outrageously colorful, art (compliments of Green) is the only saving grace for this turd of a comic.

[Tym · Rating 3 out of 5]

The characters are shallow at best and the art is inconsistent, some panels are beautiful and some are downright ugly. If this had been given a little more room to focus on the characters and the world this volume could have been something special, instead, it is forgettable.

[Sud666 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I vaguely recall the Aeon Flux cartoon that used to air on MTV. But having never watched it, I had no idea what the plot was about. I am glad I checked this out.

The story is rather strange, the overall world setting, and I just rolled with it since I had no background. Apparently, nature is lethal to man (ironic, huh?) and humanity is hidden behind walls. The Bregnan government runs things and they seem to be on the verge of a defoliant that will help destroy the aggressive plants.

Aeon is a highly skilled operative capable of Jedi-like feats of hand to hand combat. She has been assigned to take down the government and train a new apprentice anmed Sithandra. That's esentially the plot and I shall not give you any spoilers.

Aeon's character is certainly badass and I rather liked her. It seemed to diminish her ability, which I thought was unique, when her apprentice also showed equal levels of skill (skill far beyond normal human parameters). Still, other than the rather strange premise-Aeon's character was a cool one.

The artwork was also quite good. it has a unique style that works very well with this story. Mike Kennedy's comic is an original one and backed with some good artwork. If you are unfamiliar with Aeon Flux and enjoy a good sci-fi action story, you will enjoy Aeon Flux.

[47Time · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't seen the movie yet, so I'm going into this story blindly. It's fast-paced with detailed exposition and explosive, over-the-top action scenes, but a bit too short to get invested in the characters, their plight and the inner workings of this original universe. The artwork is perhaps the least enjoyable aspect, but still colorful and dynamic enough to make this a fun read.

The sanctuary city of Bregna is a utopia where the citizens can enjoy comfort and joy from the threat of the ever-expanding jungle outside the city walls. Loud cannons are keeping the foliage at bay, but the noise is affecting the citizens' well-being. An organization called the Monican Resistance is working to reveal the propaganda that keeps the people placid. Their next mission is to aquire a substance named Omnimatricide developed by Bregnan scientist Claudius to combat the jungle.

The main character, the highly skilled Aeon Flux, must bring the young Sithandra on her mission to aquire the Omnimatricide. Aeon mistrusts her partner and puts her through dangerous training. There is a spy among the Monicans feeding information to the Bregnan chairman. He wants to use the substance before it is fully tested, even though the developing scientist advises against it.

Aeon and Sithandra barely manage to get away from the guards with a sample of the Omnimatricide. They split up and Aeon hides at her sister's house. The rebels need to make haste for their next mission - to add a second substance to the vat of Omnimatricide, turning it into a corrosive that will disable the foliage cannons.

The Bregnan security force uses their informant to destroy the Monican resistance while Aeon chooses to rescue Sithandra and together they complete the mission, again by the skin of their teeth. They regroup with the other resistance fighters in the Handler Space, a mindscape where they are safe from the security force. They allowed the Bregnans to believe they were destroyed and intend to use the perceived weakness to their advantage.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

A throwaway story line that benefits from some nice writing, as well as artwork that makes for a happy compromise between the look of the MTV cartoon and the live-action movie.

[Leila Anani · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of both the MTV series and the live action movie of Aeon Flux but the graphic novel didn't do much for me - the artwork isn't as styalised as the anime and seems a compromise between the film & animation versions being somehow less than either. The story is also a bit dull - Aeon, a Monican terrorist is sent to steal the sample of a chemical weapon the Bregnans intend to use against the encroaching jungle, not caring that it may well kill off all vegetation on the planet, not just the aggressive plants. Aeon is forced to work with another agent Sithandra who may be an enemy spy....

There's no Goodchild/Aeon interaction and while I love the setting and the character I found this one lacking both in terms of art, story and general weirdness.

[Jake Kilroy · Rating 4 out of 5]

There wasn't very much to do this, but it surely made me curious about the larger universe of this character. I didn't feel like I had as much context as I would've liked, but I couldn't shake the breeziness of the world-building, even when I didn't totally get the angle on its surrounding society. It kept me and I wanted more (in a good way).

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd never read any Aeon Flux and found a cheap copy of this at oxfam and decided to try it as I thought it sounded interesting. It was nice to have a distopian adventure that focused on women characters. It just felt a bit too simple. But still enjoyable.

[Ranette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Action packed Sci-fi thriller.

[JM · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointed with this it's lacking in everything that made the original series so good. Of course I saw them years after the debut but Aeon Flux from Liquid Television is still a massive shock to the senses in how it approached storytelling. A deconstruction of so much genre fiction, it weaves Gnosticism, Occultism, fetish, violence, morality and choice and unfortunately the comic series just doesn't have it. It has a few neat idea like the Monican handlers existing on a plane of reality that doesn't exist, yet still affects the material. Also and maybe the most egregious sin, the art isn't close to good enough to be worth slogging through compared to Chung and his animators great work. A shame but kinda makes sense seeing as Aeon Flux was perfected in animation.

[Grant · Rating 3 out of 5]

I truly dislike Æon's Catwoman-like costume redesign for this graphic novel, which is obviously adopted from the 2005 live-action film. The story is adequate but incomplete, exploring some of the history and geography of Bregna and Monica that is only seen in the early episodes of the television series. Ultimately, though, I'm sure most people will find Æon's character to be a little less individualistic for this story (she's not self-motivated, as Peter Chung always stressed). There are a couple cleverly integrated scenes that fans will enjoy. I can't really recommend it on the whole, but I won't discourage anyone from reading- a 2.5/5. I'm feeling generous, so I'll score it with a 3.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really loved the movie and thought I'd give this comic book a try. It was alright. It's in the same setting with the same look as the actors and it tells the story of how Aeon saved Sithandra's life. It's one of their many attemps as Monicans to bring down the walls to the jungle that surrounds the city of Bregna.

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