A.D.D.: Adolescent Demo Division Hardcover January 31, 2012

by Douglas Rushkoff

The Adolescent Demo Division are the world's luckiest teen gamers. Raised from birth to test media, appear on reality TV and enjoy the fruits of corporate culture, the squad develop special abilities that make them the envy of the world--and a grave concern to their keepers.

One by one, they "graduate" to new levels that are not what they seem. But their heightened abilities can only take them so far as the ultimate search for their birth families leads to an inconceivably harrowing discovery.

Written by Douglas Rushkoff, world-renowned media theorist, Frontline TV correspondent and author (Ecstasy Club, Media Virus and Program or Be Programmed, TESTAMENT), with full color art by Goran Sudzuka and Jose Marzan Jr. ( THE LAST MAN).

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fiction, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Dystopia

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Douglas Rushkoff is a New York-based writer, columnist and lecturer on technology, media and popular culture.

Reviews

[Forrest · Rating 2 out of 5]

For those of you who don’t know, Denver is home to the largest single comic book store in the world. I didn’t know this either until a few months ago when a friend of mine blew into town from Boston and we went. The warehouse used to be a clearing house for cross-country comic shipping and at some point Mile High Comics claimed it, along with the considerable overstock and turned it into 45,000 square feet of comic book nerd wet dream. While we were there, I found myself drooling over collector’s editions of Chew omnibus volumes and an essential guide to the Top Cow universe, but the only thing I walked out with was this quirky little Vertigo title. At the register, the clerk on duty looked the hardcover volume over and gave me an audible “Huh,” which pretty much sums up my experience with the book.

Set in the near future, A.D.D. follows Lionel, a top tier gamer who is part of an unusual reality show/experiment. Raised from birth to play games, test technology and generally be archetypal internet brats, these kids enjoy a life of luxury and media saturation, and in return act as mascots for their corporate owners. For Lionel and his friends, it seems like paradise, but Lionel still has questions: what happens when they ‘graduate?’ And why can he ‘see’ things no one else can?

A blurb on the back cover bills A.D.D. a “part social sci-fi and part X-Men for the Playstation generation.” Personally I don’t really feel the X-Men vibe, but the social commentary is in full effect. Written by Douglass Rushkoff, a prominent American media theorist, the book is almost overloaded with cutting analysis of our digital generation. Kids in the Division are socially maladjusted because of overwhelming media saturation, regressing to more animalistic behavior patterns or quite simply unable to recognize reality. Or perhaps worse, they sometimes see reality too clearly. Lionel’s gift for information processing gives him insight into the motives of those around him, from the subtle visual messages of advertisements, to the facial expressions and body language of his captors. But this just sets him further apart, like a Cassandra, cursed with sights that no one else can, or wants, to see.

The depth of the commentary and the references of Rushkoff’s larger body of work actually get in the way of the smaller story of Lionel and his friends. Tapping into some of the well explored tropes of ‘-punk’ fiction, A.D.D. pits the kids against their controlling corporate overlords. But the conflict of the story feels rushed in places and ill-defined in others. The primary arc is complicated by the addition of a do-gooder journalist with questionable motives, and the overly complicated origin story of the A.D.D. kids themselves. The end is also supremely unsatisfying. It feels tacked on and doesn’t actually resolve any of the bigger issues the book tried to address in the last couple of pages.

The characters themselves feel a bit stronger. Lionel is kind of whiney for a protagonist, but his vulnerabilities make him more likable than some of the other kids. Kasinda, the token female on the team, actually comes across as a stronger character than Lionel and would have made a much more interesting PoV character. She ends up providing most of the drive that keeps the plot moving, making Lionel feel extraneous. Other characters, like Karl and Takai, are less well drawn, but fill important emotional niches for the story. Karl is the big brother with all the answers until he graduates, and Takai is the cautionary tale, a kid so maladjusted he can’t separate games from reality.

The art is also quite good. One of the luxuries of shorter, limited run comics is the ability to hold onto an artist or team long enough to establish a visual style and tone, and A.D.D. has those in spades. The clean lines of the Division home and the various virtual spaces are wonderful, and help the kids’ distinguishing features stand out more. It also creates visual clash between the irregularities of the children and the extreme control of the Nextgen Corporation. A few scenes seem to have been ripped straight from the Battle School of Ender’s Game, but there’s plenty of visual originality here too.

There are a lot of interested elements to A.D.D. and certainly some topics worth considering as we expose kids to more and more unfiltered media every day. But the graphic novel is just too weak to carry the weight of all those ideas. Whether it was too complex for its very short length, or just needed someone sterner handling the plotting, I can’t really say. It would be very interesting to see another author, like Brian K. Vaughn, take up this concept and run with it. Until that happens, A.D.D. is an intriguing, but ultimately disappointing foray into the psychology of video game culture.

[Annie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a disappointment. It read like a comic book for kids written by a media studies professor who only ever interacts with adults.

There are some interesting themes about video game culture, subliminal messaging, and modern consumerism--but they're completely oversimplified to the point of seeming like pulp sci-fi rather than an a meditation on contemporary culture. And all of the tropes are taken from other places--kids thinking they're playing video games, but actually being used for a higher purpose; a futuristic teen culture that has developed it's own bizarre slang; test-tube babies and cloning; etc.

The plot itself is highly confusing and seemingly orchestrated to discuss specific themes related to media rather than build a coherent plot. I mean, what exactly are the A.D.D. kids being used for? I was never really clear on what financial value they had to the company. And what exactly were they trying to do to the kids who "leveled up"?

And my biggest complaint is that for a book whose message is so over-simplified, there are random scenes that are far too violent and adult. Most of the book seems like it's for kids, and then there are those violent bullying scenes in the shower and the references to the one girl in the group possibly being abused. What is up with that?

Why this book got positive reviews, I have no idea.

[Craig · Rating 1 out of 5]

With a media critic like Rushkoff at the helm, i expected a more coherent social/ media critique, but other "teens killing for fame" books have done it more/ better. While the kids aren't really killing here, nor is the critique an actual critique, this book is Idea-filled albeit ultimately weak in execution. I think this might have worked better as a mini-series to expand some of the ideas, ie I have no idea WTF the ending meant. The art is pedestrian and the script has too many "fag"/ gay rape "jokes" by far.

[Kim Pallister · Rating 2 out of 5]

[cross-published from my blog at kimpallister.com]

I find Douglas Rushkoff a provocative thinker about media theory, so when I heard he'd co-authored a graphic novel related to the subject, I put it on the to-read list and recently picked it up at my public library.

A.D.D.: Adolescent Demo Division centers around a group of teenage professional gamers in a near-future where reality TV, pro gaming leagues and mega-corp marketing collide. The result is part X-men, part Enders Game, and part MTV's Real World.

While that might sounds like an interesting setup, the book has many flaws and so I can't strongly recommend it.

On the positive side, the artwork is clean and well done. I find many modern graphic novels leave me lost, artisitic ambition sacrificing a clear indicator of where the reader's eyes should go next. ADD doesn't suffer from this. Additionally, there are some interesting bits of near-term sci-fi in the setting.

What it does suffer from is a poor connection to the story, especially at the end when it's never fully revealed what the evil corporation is actually up to. Additionally, the excessive use of slang and offensive language (think lots of boner jokes, towel-snapping shower, and cyber-porn-tugging scenes) may have been used to make it clear that these are teenage boys lacking parenting (a pinch of Lord of the Flies in there), it comes off as flat and forced, hurting more than helping the story.

I give it 2/5. YMMV.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a mess. An interesting mess but a mess nonetheless. It was too short so nothing had any time to develop, characters or ideas; but it's full of zeitgeist, practically brimming with it, so if you do read it, then you can be safe in the knowledge that you're riding the latest and sexiest of waves in popular culture. That may be one of it's other problems, it's just trying too damn hard to be current and relevant and ends up feeling like a slightly more gruesome episode of Level Up. Not that Level Up is a bad show by any means but it seems the creators of this book were trying to be a bit more subversive.

I don't like star ratings because they feel a little meaningless. So I'll give it a meaningless three because it's well drawn and it does contain a mix of ideas that I find I'm drawn to. However, I'm finding that I disagree with all the quotes from famous and better authors that are placed neatly on the cover. I suggest you believe Cory Doctorow, Grant Morrison and Ann Nocenti before you believe me because I am a mere reader.

[Noah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up specifically because I'm a fan of Rushkoff's other work and was intrigued how it played out in graphic novel form. With a story about the effects of media over-saturation, featuring a batch of professional video game playing teens and a corporation that controls their lives (and possibly something even more sinister), it definitely seemed like something I would love. Sadly it ended up feeling more like an extended prologue rather than a fully realized story. An intriguing enough idea, but ultimately not a groundbreaking work on the subject matter. I hope Rushkoff considers a non-graphic novel version in which he can expand upon the world he's introduced here.

[Byron · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the art was good and clean, the story was something of a mess. The author =, Douglas Rushkoff, was so distracted by the ideas and opinions he wanted to communicate (some I agree with, others I don't) he forgot that his job is to tell a story. What's worse, however, is that he didn't even communicate his opinions that well, leading to an ending that strives to be ambiguous but is actually just confusing because there's no explanation as to what happened or why it happened. There are so many wonderful ideas here but, without focus, they are just as scattered as the minds of the audience Mr. Rushkoff is trying to "save."

[Mathew Carruthers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting premise, though also kind of familiar. Sort of a "Ready Player One" meets "Battle Royale" meets "They Live". Certainly worth a look if you're interested in that combination of dystopian sci-fi, social commentary, and cautionary tale - and it's if you're not interested in all that, it's still an interesting story.

[Amelia · Rating 2 out of 5]

odd. It took me about 1/2 the book to get used to their slang, and by the time the book ended I couldn't tell if it was an actual ending, or if it was setting up a sequel...

It was a quick read, but I think I wish I had spent that time reading something else....still not sure.

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fragmentary, confusing, and hard to follow--too many gaps and not enough development anywhere, really.

[Chris Browning · Rating 3 out of 5]

On one level it’s good when people outside of the comics world wrote for them, because they bring different skills and views into a genre that’s sometimes a bit too much of a closed world for newcomers. But then you get things like this, and Margaret Atwood’s ridiculous comics, that show absolutely no understanding of the medium whatsoever

I mean it’s fascinating and full of incredibly interesting ideas, but Rushkoff has this really stilted way of writing where his ideas and his understanding of the tropes of comics just do not meet up. As in they’re constantly missing each other in the most fascinating of ways. The plot feels like a rejected 2000AD thing about gamers in the near future, married to something like They Live, but with a genuinely muddled sense of how to write a narrative. Characters die and rather than people being wildly upset by it they kind of go “that character has died and I am wildly upset by it” but demonstrating absolutely none of this. It’s so tangled up in the bigger narrative that it constantly trips over itself on a storytelling basis

The art is fine if wildly perfunctory and doesn’t help clarify the muddled plotting. The final product is not terrible but feels close to almost outsider art: someone trying to write a medium they have no understanding of, like a computer programmer who can make music using technology then trying to write a symphony. Technically the skills are similar, but the actual finished product feels completely off like it’s been filtered through Google translate half a dozen times. It’s genuinely a fascinating hot mess, but still absolutely a hot mess

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

Douglas Rushkoff is one of those writers and thinkers that I will follow wherever he goes. From media, currency, cyberculture, social media and religion--he's got the counter-culture and anti-corporate cred angle down.

However, whenever he delves into fiction, I check my watch.

Aleister and Adolf, while having a great topic--was so half-developed and underwhelming it was embarrassing. Same with ADD. It's clear that Rushkoff believes that games develops negative tendencies with children such as ADD and lack of empathy. Things that science tends to discredit (yet, we keep spending money on advertising). These are fine concepts to delve into. But it's hamfisted. This is obviously written by a guy who doesn't play video games.

Stick with the essays and non-fiction like "Merchants of Cool/Generation Like". "Life Inc.", "Present Shock", and the upcoming "Team Human".

I do LOVE Testament however, so I'll keep coming back. Just like the Persuaders want me to.

[Arnela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok like, I get what he was aiming for, too much media is bad, being overstimulated from a young age can have a negative affect on the way you thing. But for the kids in the comic this is taken to an extreme level, day in and day out all they do is get overstimulated by games and by competitions, they can't get away from it, so naturally their development cannot be used to adequately comment on modern over-consumption of media. Yes it's bad, but it's not this bad. I just feel they tried really hard, to fit a lot of themes and issues concerning media and media's affect on children and society into a story about kids trying to escape from their corporate caretakers that it just came out very muddled.

I wanted to like it more, but I just couldn't. It was too fast paced, with too many underlying aspects all trying to be seen at the same time that I couldn't properly get into it. I guess that, in it's own way, is making the audience member feel overstimulated by a piece of media.

[Vittorio Rainone · Rating 2 out of 5]

Una miniserie bellissima, inglese, Black Mirror, parla del rapporto fra l'umanità e i nuovi media. Nella seconda puntata si osserva un gruppo di umani presi in un gioco eterno che serve solo a farli andare avanti, a farli vivere, e che nasconde il vuoto da cui cercano di proteggersi. A.D.D. parla proprio di ragazzi figli di nuovi media, addestrati come se partecipassero a un videogame eterno, nel tentativo di passare al nirvana (inesistente) di un nuovo livello (che coincide invece con la neutralizzazione delle cavie). La storia è carina, anche se il ritmo narrativo è un po' slabbrato ed eccessivamente dinamico. I disegni sono semplici ma efficaci.

[Dana Berglund · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was super confusing, with so much slang and not enough of a satisfying conclusion. The teenagers in this book are enslaved to an online video gaming "test" platform, so a certain amount of slang and shade being thrown at each other is understandable. But there were too many racist, sexist, and homophobic slurs being used casually to write it off as"boys will be boys" (a phrase I abhor, by there way). We get that bullies sometimes make poor choices, but it detracts from the overall message that corporations can be evil by focusing on the Battle Royale/Lord of the Flies between the teens.

[Morgan Gariepy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great concept, but ended up being a messy disappointment. The story was too short for any character or plot development. It was also choppy. Several times I had to double check I hadn't turned two pages by mistake because things jumped so randomly. The ending was a complete mess. It's like it was thrown together in the last ten minutes before the print deadline.

[Kevin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Preachy, convoluted, and full of cringe-inducing fake lingo, this book is a mess. It tries to be profound, but trips over its litany of wannabe-edgy homophobic jokes, its "f*** the corporation" anti-media tone, and its cast of completely unlikable characters.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of ideas here but very messy and rushed. It seemed hokey at times and as there was no time for real character development, it was rather stale.

[ComicNerdSam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just a bunch of forced sci-fi concepts held together by a glue consisting of baffling lingo and . . . nah actually that’s just it. This book falls apart at the slightest breeze. Absolutely confusing.

[Stephen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Man, you can tell the writer of this book thought he was really saying something deep when he made this. Unfortunately, as a reader, you find yourself deep in a pile of meaningless, misguided shit.

For a bastard hybridization of Logan's Run, and Parts: The Clonus Horror, and every movie involving a battle between corporate bad guys and a righteous little guy who transcends into something...transcendental...the result is a damn chore to complete.

The book also made massive missteps similar to Punk Rock Jesus' problems, in which the whole story is a little too inbred (literally, in this case), and by not giving us a believable motivation for the main antagonist.

The art is fine. I recommend their earlier Outlaw Nation. It wasn't the best thing I have ever read or looked at, but it kept me guessing and kept me coming back for more.

Now, back to this misfire: For a book that wants to be a comment on the pacification and cannibalization of our youth by making a futuristic story of how bad it is to target teens as consumers, it can't seem to think past the actual items available at Target store shelves right now. By this I am pointing to the part of the story where the bad guy's big plan for world domination (or at least to become richer than he is) is to market life-size robotic dolls manufactured to look like celebrity gamers so consumers can buy the dolls, bring them home, and so the dolls can sit on the consumers' couches and plan video games with the consumers....because in the future we will be using the same hand-held controllers we are now. THIS IF FUCKING RETARDED.

And if you happen to think it might just be possible for the captive, cloned gamers might to escape from their manufacturing plant/futuristic gamer complex to see what the real world is like for the first time by being shipped out of the factory disguised as one of their look-alike robotic dolls (complete with window box packaging), well let's just say you predicted the future of this story better than the author predicted the real future.

Overall: GAME OVER, MAN. GAME OVER!

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

As I was reading this book, my opinion of it varied as if it was the pong ball bouncing between the paddles. Getting into the world created in the story was thick for me with all the invented lingo. Once I got past that, the world of the testers started to coalesce more, but then it fell apart. The scene changes were unclear: what was happening in the games they were playing, what was actually happening, and what they remembered happening were confusing and not easy to follow. A weakness perhaps in the author's lack of experience in sequential art? Also, what was up with all the bullying in the communal boys shower? Some sort of gym class issues from his youth being worked out?

The attempt at raising awareness in today's youth of how programmed they are by the media they consume is admirable, but this version feels to me like it missed it's mark.

[Sean · Rating 1 out of 5]

This reads like a paranoid delusion and that's the best thing I can say about the writing. I challenge anyone to understand what's going on without using some comparison to the ills of our technological society. The book wasn't fun, interesting, intriguing, or likable in any way. Added to that is the ridiculous inclusion of "made-up" slang that actually takes away from the dialogue. The artist, Goran Sudzuka, did the best he could but there was nothing to work with here. This is not enjoyable and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

[Jenna · Rating 1 out of 5]

The jargon reminded me of a blend of Clockwork Orange and the Uglies.... The use of different words didn't seem to add much to the actual story. Yes, gamers use specialized terms but it felt like the author threw them in just to sound different. I didn't have my mind blown by anything in this book either, despite the fact it is supposed to be insightful into modern life, etc etc. Hrm. The drawing style was nice at least. Also there were some confusing time skips.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book for free from the goodreads First Reads giveaway. Thank you!

This was the first graphic novel that I have ever read. I liked it. The story line was interesting, and it kept me guessing. All of the details came together and made sense, and I liked the ending. The illustrations were great.

[Peejee · Rating 1 out of 5]

After reading Rushkoff's non-fiction work and reading about this graphic novel my expectation was set "I was about to read the new Ghost in the Shell or even the new Matrix" Due to my expectations I felt a bit lost while reading. Don't expect to much and you will read and enjoy a nice graphic novel.

[Barbaraleah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, maybe if I were a teenage gamer I would understand this book more. It is a graphic novel which 'discusses' the dangers of subliminal (and far beyond) marketing to children. This book was over-sexed, well, actually, it was just awkwardly sexed; sex was thrown in at strange junctures. It had a lot of potential but simply did not connect.

[Niall O'Conghaile · Rating 2 out of 5]

This just didn't feel very well executed. The pacing and plotting was scattergun, the characters shallow and not likable and while there were some good ideas here, there were also some major cliches. At times it felt like Rushkoff was using yoof-y jargon to distract from some hackneyed tropes. This possibly could have been done better by another, more accomplished writer.

[Tif · Rating 1 out of 5]

The idea of it seemed to be an interesting one but the characters are not enjoyable to read about and their slang is alienating. In the end I don't know what I was reading about and I feel as though I've wasted my time on something that was still a thought in the author's head.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sudzuka's art is clean and clear, but there's little else to recommend about this book. Rushkoff fails to provide any clear motivation for most of the characters and the themes of media manipulation and morality aren't developed in anything close to a satisfying manner.

[Michael Berry · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have no affinity for online gaming and am tired of stories about young media sensations being duped by evil corporations.