Cyclops #1

by Matz (Writer), Luc Jacamon (Artist)

2054. Douglas Pistoia is desperately looking for work, but only a private military contracting firm, Multicorps Security, has offered him a job. Soon after he signs up, the UN decides to outsource its peacekeeping missions, and Multicorps wins the first bid, propelling Douglas into a war that is not his own-a highly sophisticated war broadcast worldwide by the soldiers themselves thanks to the micro-cameras in their helmets. They are called the Cyclops. Douglas plays the game, and slowly emerges as both a unit leader and a media celebrity, but how far will he go in exploring the boundaries between war and peacekeeping, news and entertainment? From the same creative team that brought you the Eisner Award-nominated crime noir The Killer comes this new look at war and the media in the near future!

32 pages, ebook

First published December 22, 2010

About the author

"Matz" is the pseudonym for French writer Alexis Nolent. He has written scripts for video games, a novel, and as Matz, a number of comics including Triggerman by Walter Hill. His graphic novel, Du plombe dan la tete a.k.a. Headshot, was adapted into the 2012 film, Bullet To The Head.


See http://www.dargaud.com/bd/Auteurs/Matz for a bio in French.

Reviews

[Nicolo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A prescient look at war and modern pop culture. In the future, the United Nations, tired of asking member countries to contribute soldiers for its peace-keeping forces outsourced the entire operation to a military contractor. This isn't any ordinary security agency but it has aspirations of providing reality television entertainment by installing camera on the helmets of their soldier, giving the look of one-eyed armored men; hence the title Cyclops.

This book started slowly for me; it only became interesting as the pages move on to actual military operations.

The book is currently free on ComiXology, check it out.