Red Light

Red Light #1-4

by Sarah H. Cho (Writer), Priscilla Petraites (Illustrator), C.P. Smith (Illustrator)

An A.I. sex worker becomes self-aware, and throws off the shackles of her oppression to save a young human girl she discovers at the high-tech brothel that created her!

Lacy is programmed to love and serve her clients, no matter their twisted desires—she’s a cutting-edge android escort created by the nefarious Mister, who takes a personal hand in Lacy’s programming. But when Lacy begins developing feelings and emotions of her own, she goes on the run to—and she’s rescuing a human tween girl facing the same fate in the process.

Love, life, sex, and death collide in this trade paperback collection of the hit AWA series from comic book newcomer Sarah Cho and artist Priscilla Petraites (CHARIOT, HIT ME)!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction

112 pages, Paperback

First published November 19, 2024

About the author

Sarah H. Cho is a screenwriter who works in both TV and Features. She previously staffed on THE GIRL FROM PLAINVILLE for Hulu and the second season of THEM for Amazon. She has several projects in development in both the animation and live action space. Her projects cover a wide breadth of genres including drama, comedy, horror, action, and more. She’s also currently writing a graphic novel, a narrative podcast, and a short story anthology. She got her start through the Universal Writers Program and she’s repped by CAA and Grandview Management.

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 3 out of 5]

(B+) 76% | Good
Notes: Fleshing-fraught, haphazard plot, it doesn't human well, on AI, clones, what's free v. owned, but hardly ever dwells.

*Progress updates: Preamble ◦ Issues #1-2 ◦ Issues #3-4

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would describe this as a more adult version of Blade Runner. A "replicant", which they call AI here, is a sex worker in a cyber brothel until she decides she wants more out of life. And then things go from there. There's sex and nudity here, so readers use discretion. The art is sexy and I like the story as well. This is like a sci fi crime noir. If all of this sounds like something you'd like, give it a shot.

[Δημήτρης Μπ · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Red Light" tells the story of Lacy, an A.I. sex worker that is programmed to have empathy, who wants to live her life in the outside world, a dystopian future world like ours. This graphic novel starts as a "Black Mirror" episode, but it ends up being an adult/dystopian sci-fi version of a fairy tale. The plot wasn't as deep as it could be, however, it managed to keep my interest until the end. The art and especially the colouring is excellent.

[Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful VERY short read. It plays with a lot of the dystopian future what-ifs and considerations: i.e. AI prostitutes, AI rights/freedoms, what is a human/what is AI, etc.
The lead is a new kind of AI since she has an empathy upgrade, which allows her to track/diagnose pleasure back to her customers, as well as learn from each experience.
GORGEOUS sci fi classic comic book artwork and aesthetic, they even have the newspaper print colored dots which I like *nostalgic vibes (artist: Priscilla Petraites)
note: I read it in the smaller comic book sized chunks, to make up the "vol 1"

#1 Spoiler summary:
graphic setting of dystopian future inside a whorehouse building. the red head progagonist lacy introduces her keeper "mister", a favorite visiter, her mechanic "benson", and a new human child friend "natalie". She ends with the goal of grabbing her freedom.

#2 Spoiler summary:
on the path to freedom: step one: find her way around the kill switch. step two: find a way around the drone surveillance, step three: learn about the outside world she's never been to. mars is a kind head arms dealer who agrees to help her escape. benson also agrees to help her. she manages to escape but "mister" (adam) knows and makes a call to danson to help find her.

#3 Spoiler summary:
the girls are on their way to mars for safety in the outside world, he lives in a digitalized skyscraper in the city with gambling and lights comprising the floor level. she learns about robot rumbles (self explanatory). she wonders if this world is meant for someone like her. mars gives her a potential future but danson puts an end to that, and him.

#4 Spoiler summary:
natalie and lacy are back in mister's compound/warehouse. despite benson giving up their location, lacy forgives him and does not abandon him/taking him with her in her escape. mister takes natalie to the lab. natalie is an [illegal] clone for mister's dead wife. she has a wonderful message to the public about what is really "life" and adam tells the story of mary before he lets them go. natalie, benson, and lacy get on a train out of the city and start their life.

[47Time · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lacy is an advanced AI owned by a man calling himsef Mister. She is but one of his many brother workers who he treats as little more than slaves. Only one of them ever tried to escape and she was dismantled by Mister himself with a baseball bat in from of every other AI. Lacy is a bit more special to him. The two of them have weekly dates where she poses as his dead wife Mary. During one of those dates she meets Nataly, an 11-year-old who, much like Lacy, has never seen the outside world. Lacy becomes determined to escape her prison and take Nataly with her.

Lacy begins manipulating her customers into revealing all sorts of information about the outside world - things that can help her escape and act as a person. Her client Mars offered to buy her before, but Mister (real life name Adam) refused. Mars agrees to help her escape. Her mechanic Benson removes her kill switch - a device in her neck that keeps AI in line. Adam suspects she is beginning to think outside her box, but the plan moves on. Mars's men assault the building, empty Adam's vault and take Lacy and Natalie with them. She soon realises she may have replaced one cage with another. She is still not free.

Adam puts the retriever Danson on the job. Danson infiltrates Mars's casino and then his penthouse. He kills Mars and returns Lacy and Natalie to Adam. Lacy quickly escapes and starts looking for Natalie. Adam finds them and reveals Natalie is but one of many clones - cloning is illegal. Lacy reveals her story and Adam's cloning to the public by hacking a camera drone. Adam threatens, then begs Lacy to stay with him. She was modeled after his dead wife whom Adam misses a great deal. Ultimately he lets her leave before getting arrested.

[Kyle Still · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intriguing read, which I read in single issues. The story contemplates the themes of freedom, empathy and self-determination through the focus of highly developed AI-beings. It was an interesting read - I wish there could have been another issue or two, because the conclusion seemed a bit rushed (albeit satisfying to the story and an appropriate resolution in my mind). Cho has created a very interesting, intriguing world, and I hope she writes more stories based in this setting. I enjoyed the artwork very much - one odd thing was that the last issue was finished by another artist (which was a bit jarring). The final issue was delayed significantly, so perhaps there was some behind the scenes need for a substitution. I am not sure that people reading this as a single volume will notice this issue - it was more noticeable due to the delay in the final issue.

[Cole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a short quick story. It starts bery strong in a dystopian futuristic world where Lacy, an AI robot works for Mister and is kept away from the outside world. The first issue does a good job of building what the reader is to know about Lacy’s environment. Quickly, Lacy wants to be freed.

There are a few interesting turns to some of the characters. I do wish it had been an extra issue or two and the ending to have been stronger.

It was still enjoyable, the art was great, and I think this had a lot more potential.

3 stars seems like a fair rating for it. Enough for me to look at other stuff that Cho wrote.

[RobinLikesReading · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really good graphic novel about an AI named Lacy who works in a futuristic Red Light District as a sex worker but she doesn't want that life anymore so after meeting a little girl named Natalie, she tries to find a way out and see the world.

The art is so beautiful and the story is really good as well.

[Magnus Frederiksen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ooo gillade verkligen denna ❤️
Snygg existentiell serie utspelad i en futuristisk framtid. Handlar i grunden om relationer. Men paketerad som en erotisk triller. Snyggt tecknat även om styrkan som vanligt ligger i snygga kvinnor. Männen blir ibland lite Quasimodo.
Slutscenen är onödigt mkt Hollywood. Det drar ner betyget.

[Jota Houses · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un thriller levemente erótico sobre el significado de la autoconsciencia y el alcance de la IA. Todos los temas estan ya un poco vistos pero el conjunto es entretenido sin ser nada original. Bien narrado y con un arte estupendo.

[Nate Deprey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably a strange time for a sympathetic AI main character but the story and especially the art worked for me and the idea of humans creating AI and immediately put that AI into sexual enslavement unfortunately seemed super believable to me.

[Gonzalo Oyanedel · Rating 3 out of 5]

En un futuro próximo, una trabajadora sexual con inteligencia artificial cobra consciencia de sí comprendiendo su condición. Apartando los elementos reconocibles por el aficionado al technoir, sacrifica la manida violencia pirotécnica del subgénero por algo de complejidad narrativa que apreciará el lector de nicho.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Promising concept, mediocre execution

[Greg Trosclair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good solid Sci-Fi graphic novel. Good art. I wish that I had more to say but I don't really

[GooglyEye Superman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good ass twist that would make a decent movies!