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Hacktivist
Hacktivist
A fast-paced, ripped-from-the-headlines tech thriller from the mind of Alyssa Milano, with artist Marcus To and writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly!
Hacktivist is a fast-paced cyber-thriller about friendship and freedom in a time of war. The world knows Ed Hiccox and Nate Graft as the young, brilliant co-founders of YourLife, a social networking company that has changed the way the world connects with each other. The world knows "sve_Urs3lf" as the largest white-hat hacking group on the planet, exposing information and sparking revolutions across the globe. What the world doesn't know is that this is a lie. Ed Hiccox and Nate Graft are sve_Urs3lf. When their operation is discovered by the US Government, and their company is taken over by military contracts and CIA, Ed and Nate must face the real world beyond the code and choose between friendship and what they believe to be right.
Collecting: Hacktivist 1-4
Hacktivist is a fast-paced cyber-thriller about friendship and freedom in a time of war. The world knows Ed Hiccox and Nate Graft as the young, brilliant co-founders of YourLife, a social networking company that has changed the way the world connects with each other. The world knows "sve_Urs3lf" as the largest white-hat hacking group on the planet, exposing information and sparking revolutions across the globe. What the world doesn't know is that this is a lie. Ed Hiccox and Nate Graft are sve_Urs3lf. When their operation is discovered by the US Government, and their company is taken over by military contracts and CIA, Ed and Nate must face the real world beyond the code and choose between friendship and what they believe to be right.
Collecting: Hacktivist 1-4
112 pages, Hardcover
First published July 16, 2014
9 people are currently reading
221 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
July 1, 2024
If the makers of this book had focused more on making the book entertaining, it would have been a great read. Instead, they have a message that is confusing and a dream that is unattainable and also confusing. Do they really want worldwide revolution? Do they really think a group of protesters can peacefully overthrow a government? Do they really think the US is comparable in abusing citizens to authoritarian regimes? Do they think two dudes with access to the servers of a decentralized (yeah, IDK how that makes sense) social media network have more hacking power than entire nation states have shown IRL? It would appear yes on all counts.
So, what's the good? The artwork, the heroism, annnnnd... IDK, maybe some aspects of the story.
So, what's the good? The artwork, the heroism, annnnnd... IDK, maybe some aspects of the story.
June 9, 2014
The story started and ended in a very interesting fashion but the middle one wasn't that good :/
The artwork was the simple, the dialogue was O.K, it dealt mostly was the story, freedom, revolution, Arab spring and Tunisia mostly :) the important role of networks to connect people to the same cause, the message and the role of governments/US in opposing all of that.
The story end in some kind of a win but talking from experience :) that doesn't happen :/ winning a battle is not the same as winning the war, an uprising is only the first step to any change but comes after is really what determine the future, trusting uneducated old people who lived most of their life under a dictatorship to pave the way to a new democracy to a new change without giving them a secure option in that change wont work :(
Yesterday, Here in Egypt, we ended a three year phase of an uprising as people elected the old military regime again :) so it's really not the simple! It's a process and it need hard work on large scale to get it right!
Leaving that a side :) This is a good story :) the tech. stuff was cool, using Bluetooth as the network is great and I think I heard of a chat app. that use the same idea! instead of the phone or even the wifi just among users of the same city :) with high densities.
Cover and Spoilers :)
The artwork was the simple, the dialogue was O.K, it dealt mostly was the story, freedom, revolution, Arab spring and Tunisia mostly :) the important role of networks to connect people to the same cause, the message and the role of governments/US in opposing all of that.
The story end in some kind of a win but talking from experience :) that doesn't happen :/ winning a battle is not the same as winning the war, an uprising is only the first step to any change but comes after is really what determine the future, trusting uneducated old people who lived most of their life under a dictatorship to pave the way to a new democracy to a new change without giving them a secure option in that change wont work :(
Yesterday, Here in Egypt, we ended a three year phase of an uprising as people elected the old military regime again :) so it's really not the simple! It's a process and it need hard work on large scale to get it right!
Leaving that a side :) This is a good story :) the tech. stuff was cool, using Bluetooth as the network is great and I think I heard of a chat app. that use the same idea! instead of the phone or even the wifi just among users of the same city :) with high densities.
Cover and Spoilers :)
May 22, 2021
The creation of this....comic
What's a has-been ex celebrity desperately trying to cling to fame and relevance to do? People Like computers , right? and comic books? Let's rent out my name like I used to rent out my breasts and try to keep the gravy train rolling. Let's see....computers, computers, computers...Servers! Algorithm! Network! Those words mean computer stuff right? Make sure to put one of those on every page so people know I'm smart. Oh...smart. Comic readers think famous computer people are smart, lets make the heroes famous computer people! Social networks are our masters! Yea, smart computer people, Boo bad government people.
What's a has-been ex celebrity desperately trying to cling to fame and relevance to do? People Like computers , right? and comic books? Let's rent out my name like I used to rent out my breasts and try to keep the gravy train rolling. Let's see....computers, computers, computers...Servers! Algorithm! Network! Those words mean computer stuff right? Make sure to put one of those on every page so people know I'm smart. Oh...smart. Comic readers think famous computer people are smart, lets make the heroes famous computer people! Social networks are our masters! Yea, smart computer people, Boo bad government people.
October 29, 2025
Ah, how hopeful we were about social media just a decade ago. This is a fun book too read in 2025 that will probably help you see how jaded you've become. It certainly did for me
December 23, 2021
This was a okay comic. The problem I had was that it doesn't really get into any hacking terminology or any hacker culture at all. I kinda wanted that! These guys are essentially big social networking big wigs and CEO's who get into other countries problems. It lacks any sort of probability because 1. actual CEOs generally don't care or 2. actual CEOs get everything wrong about other countries and their problems. Also the story and characters lack any sort of edge at all.
February 14, 2016
This comic was well written with good dialog and pacing. I liked the art very much. And on the whole they made some very interesting choices in covering interesting subject matter.
But I do have to say that it seemed odd to make the hacktivists also be Silicon Valley CEOs. This isn't what hackers tend to actually be like. Facebook had an actual role in the Tunisian civil war which was that it was a platform of communication for protestors and when the Tunisian government began to use it to spy on the protestors, Facebook added https encryption to prevent this. It's perfectly reasonable for a fictional story to diverge from this, but to diverge in a way which reenforces Silicon Valley's existing and clearly overblown savior complex is, well, kind of disappointing, especially when it in many ways undercuts the very meaning of the term "hacktivist".
The other thing which bothered me is that I have a PhD in computer science and did my thesis in and teach classes about computer and information security, so I'm pretty well on top of the reality of hacking and computer and network technology. This tries very hard to be both cutting edge and accurate. But, in practice, they wind up randomly stretching the bounds of some things because there are parts of how some things work that the authors just doesn't get. It's frustrating because it's clear that they've been talking to people who know what they're talking about, but that there are bits that they just don't get and that comes through. They know enough to mention TOR and distributed hash tables, but not enough to understand what they are, how they work, and what they can do. Because this is all fiction, I don't mean to be super hard on them. They're clearly trying. But it was bad enough at times that it got in the way of immersion in the story.
But I do have to say that it seemed odd to make the hacktivists also be Silicon Valley CEOs. This isn't what hackers tend to actually be like. Facebook had an actual role in the Tunisian civil war which was that it was a platform of communication for protestors and when the Tunisian government began to use it to spy on the protestors, Facebook added https encryption to prevent this. It's perfectly reasonable for a fictional story to diverge from this, but to diverge in a way which reenforces Silicon Valley's existing and clearly overblown savior complex is, well, kind of disappointing, especially when it in many ways undercuts the very meaning of the term "hacktivist".
The other thing which bothered me is that I have a PhD in computer science and did my thesis in and teach classes about computer and information security, so I'm pretty well on top of the reality of hacking and computer and network technology. This tries very hard to be both cutting edge and accurate. But, in practice, they wind up randomly stretching the bounds of some things because there are parts of how some things work that the authors just doesn't get. It's frustrating because it's clear that they've been talking to people who know what they're talking about, but that there are bits that they just don't get and that comes through. They know enough to mention TOR and distributed hash tables, but not enough to understand what they are, how they work, and what they can do. Because this is all fiction, I don't mean to be super hard on them. They're clearly trying. But it was bad enough at times that it got in the way of immersion in the story.
November 9, 2015
Fairly slight and occasionally simplistic, but an enjoyable read.
May 27, 2017
Somewhat cringey at times, but ultimately not terrrible
September 2, 2020
The trappings of this book haven't aged well. It hearkens back to a time only a few years ago when Facebook and Wikileaks could be conceived of as a force for good. Jack Dorsey wrote the intro...
The story itself stands up pretty well - two tech startup billionaires use their decentralized Facebook analog to help resistance fighters in Tunisia, but get caught up in military intrigue and ethical questions as their decisions mean life and death to thousands of others. The tech is mostly believable, and the way the two get carried away in differing directions works as well. Some of the B characters are a bit one-note in their presentation, but Ed and Nate get some depth to them. The story builds well, with a strong climax, and the art does a good job of contrasting the two central locations (the Yourlife offices and Tunisia). I want to take special note of the lettering work - the way foreign languages are handled is deft and effective and I would like to see others borrow the design choice.
It may be a bit naive, but it still tells a good story that asks worthwhile questions, and that's enough to recommend it.
The story itself stands up pretty well - two tech startup billionaires use their decentralized Facebook analog to help resistance fighters in Tunisia, but get caught up in military intrigue and ethical questions as their decisions mean life and death to thousands of others. The tech is mostly believable, and the way the two get carried away in differing directions works as well. Some of the B characters are a bit one-note in their presentation, but Ed and Nate get some depth to them. The story builds well, with a strong climax, and the art does a good job of contrasting the two central locations (the Yourlife offices and Tunisia). I want to take special note of the lettering work - the way foreign languages are handled is deft and effective and I would like to see others borrow the design choice.
It may be a bit naive, but it still tells a good story that asks worthwhile questions, and that's enough to recommend it.
October 18, 2022
I'm always interested to read a comic that keeps physical violence at arm's reach (in contrast to the vast majority of superhero comics in which violence is an essential part). The "hacking" parts were interesting and well thought out. I can imagine that it is difficult to visually represent hacking in a comic in an interesting way, and the achievement here is largely owed to the illustrator, Marcus To.
Ian Herring's color work here is also a huge highlight for me. Different locations are colored differently and it makes the transition from location to location pretty easy to digest.
As far as the story itself- it was definitely tropey and ignored opportunities to circumvent expectations. That's not necessarily a criticism. I appreciated the message. I think a few plot points could have been developed more (this is a pretty short graphic novel), but I overall enjoyed this book.
Ian Herring's color work here is also a huge highlight for me. Different locations are colored differently and it makes the transition from location to location pretty easy to digest.
As far as the story itself- it was definitely tropey and ignored opportunities to circumvent expectations. That's not necessarily a criticism. I appreciated the message. I think a few plot points could have been developed more (this is a pretty short graphic novel), but I overall enjoyed this book.
April 17, 2019
One of those comics that just sucks you in and doesn't let go until the end. And even then it leaves you with plenty to think about.
It's a few years old, but all the questions in here are ones that we as a society are still working out, and it predicts with stunning accuracy certain events that have been in the headlines recently. I love that every action taken in this comic is looked at from multiple perspectives, and feels like a solid dialogue on the subjects of cybersecurity, activism, and social justice.
As a bonus, this comic is gorgeous. I picked this book up because I'm a huge fan of artist Marcus To, and I was not disappointed.
It's a few years old, but all the questions in here are ones that we as a society are still working out, and it predicts with stunning accuracy certain events that have been in the headlines recently. I love that every action taken in this comic is looked at from multiple perspectives, and feels like a solid dialogue on the subjects of cybersecurity, activism, and social justice.
As a bonus, this comic is gorgeous. I picked this book up because I'm a huge fan of artist Marcus To, and I was not disappointed.
July 17, 2022
I still can’t comprehend how cringe this book was. It’s as if they picked every stereotypical Hollywood story telling tool and put it into one book to make a few bucks. And it worked. I regret wasting money on this.
I should have known better than to but anything related to a Twitter co-founder. It’s great marketing for sure. And at least the art was nice.
I should have known better than to but anything related to a Twitter co-founder. It’s great marketing for sure. And at least the art was nice.
April 10, 2018
Wow!
The story, the pacing, the characters, the way color is used to help tell the story, the government sticking their noses everywhere, there is just so much to wonder at.
I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed this book.
The story, the pacing, the characters, the way color is used to help tell the story, the government sticking their noses everywhere, there is just so much to wonder at.
I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed this book.
February 2, 2019
I loved the art but I just couldn't get into the story.
January 25, 2021
Very well written and thought out IT thriller
October 3, 2021
Un comic qui tente de nous expliquer que tout ce qui manquait pour que le Printemps Arabe fonctionne, c'était un white savior milliardaire de la Silicon Valley.
Ugh.
Ugh.
June 12, 2017
Nice story. I liked the pace and all computer science references regardless of some problems in the plot.
February 27, 2020
Enjoyable read. Interesting premise and storyline. I recommend it for fans of graphic novels and tech thrillers.
April 29, 2015
Fiction and reality blur in Alyssa Milano's graphic novel debut.
Two Californian IT gurus reap fame and money after creating an advanced social media website while secretly supporting hacktivists around the world. However, things take a turn for the worse when the US government blackmails them into engineering a revolution in North Africa.
Finally, a graphic novel about the role of internet technology in revolution. I applaud Alyssa Milano for her story because it makes me wonder what other stories activist minded celebrities have to share. What I liked the most about "Hacktivist" is how the IT methods governments use to control people can seriously backfire.
Pros:
Using the "Arab Spring" as a backdrop to the story.
The power of social media being featured.
CEOs, not lonely nerds, are the hackers.
No romantic subplots.
You don't have to be tech savvy to enjoy this story.
Cons:
Underdeveloped strong female characters.
Not enough time spent on getting to know the main characters.
The overall story felt too short.
Two Californian IT gurus reap fame and money after creating an advanced social media website while secretly supporting hacktivists around the world. However, things take a turn for the worse when the US government blackmails them into engineering a revolution in North Africa.
Finally, a graphic novel about the role of internet technology in revolution. I applaud Alyssa Milano for her story because it makes me wonder what other stories activist minded celebrities have to share. What I liked the most about "Hacktivist" is how the IT methods governments use to control people can seriously backfire.
Pros:
Using the "Arab Spring" as a backdrop to the story.
The power of social media being featured.
CEOs, not lonely nerds, are the hackers.
No romantic subplots.
You don't have to be tech savvy to enjoy this story.
Cons:
Underdeveloped strong female characters.
Not enough time spent on getting to know the main characters.
The overall story felt too short.
September 21, 2014
Este comic podría parecer de ciencia ficción, pero usa tecnología contemporanea, algo que aprecio bastante en una historia con tecnología aplicada a situaciones actuales. Aún así, es un poco exagerada, particularmente en los tiempos de desarrollo.
Una historia corta de unas cientoveinte páginas, pero con mucha acción entre medio. Una historia de tecnología y política donde el foco está en las historias personales de genios, emprendedores y luchadores en una revolución influenciada fuertemente por la tecnología, pero decidida por la gente que forma parte ella.
Una historia corta de unas cientoveinte páginas, pero con mucha acción entre medio. Una historia de tecnología y política donde el foco está en las historias personales de genios, emprendedores y luchadores en una revolución influenciada fuertemente por la tecnología, pero decidida por la gente que forma parte ella.
April 30, 2016
this made me move alif the unseen higher up on my to read list because i would be very interested in a more involved take on the same concept
by day ed hiccox and nate graft are the founders of yourlife, a fictional decentralized facebook. by night they're the hacker collective .sve_Urs3lf. set during the tunisian revolution, this is a short volume that follows ed and nate when the us government approaches them to hire them as consultants and they split over what they think their duties are as ethical hackers. it's a quick read and kept my interest throughout. i can't really evaluate it in terms of plausibility or accuracy -- it's been five years since i did any research into the arab revolutions -- but what they did mostly worked for me. it's very slight though, this is a topic that could and should support a deeper treatment
3.5 stars
by day ed hiccox and nate graft are the founders of yourlife, a fictional decentralized facebook. by night they're the hacker collective .sve_Urs3lf. set during the tunisian revolution, this is a short volume that follows ed and nate when the us government approaches them to hire them as consultants and they split over what they think their duties are as ethical hackers. it's a quick read and kept my interest throughout. i can't really evaluate it in terms of plausibility or accuracy -- it's been five years since i did any research into the arab revolutions -- but what they did mostly worked for me. it's very slight though, this is a topic that could and should support a deeper treatment
3.5 stars
August 10, 2014
Hacktivist is one short story (around 120 pages), composed by only four issues, so you can easily read it in one shot straight.
The story evolves around a "Facebook-clone" called Yourlife, it's relation with the Arab conflicts and the importance of Black-hats into those conflicts.
The story is current, where the reader can find references to stuff like "Facebook", "Youtube", "Reddit", "4Chan" and much more while reading this comic.
On the overall the art is very cool, with a good choice of colors.
The plot is very cool on the beginning, it goes cold into the middle, and gets hot again right before the end, making Issues #1 and #4 way better than the middle ones.
The story evolves around a "Facebook-clone" called Yourlife, it's relation with the Arab conflicts and the importance of Black-hats into those conflicts.
The story is current, where the reader can find references to stuff like "Facebook", "Youtube", "Reddit", "4Chan" and much more while reading this comic.
On the overall the art is very cool, with a good choice of colors.
The plot is very cool on the beginning, it goes cold into the middle, and gets hot again right before the end, making Issues #1 and #4 way better than the middle ones.
April 10, 2016
Add Hackivist to the list of books which start with a great idea but don't manage to execute on it. I love the idea of larger than life tech billionaires by day, hacktivist by night, almost like a modern day Bruce Wayne on a world-wide scale.
Unfortunately the story doesn't really deliver, it's rushed and simplified to a level that doesn't do justice to the complex topic's around political uprisings. The characters and dialogue both suffer similarly, there it nothing particularly wrong with them but there is just no depth to anything.
I would have much rather seen this book told over a few volumes, rather than just the one to give the writers some more space to work.
Unfortunately the story doesn't really deliver, it's rushed and simplified to a level that doesn't do justice to the complex topic's around political uprisings. The characters and dialogue both suffer similarly, there it nothing particularly wrong with them but there is just no depth to anything.
I would have much rather seen this book told over a few volumes, rather than just the one to give the writers some more space to work.
January 29, 2015
Hacktivist was entirely too short. It started later in the story than I think it should have, and it ended before it really got interesting, in my opinion. I liked what was here, but I didn't get to really know the characters in the 4 issue story. I really liked the artwork and the premise. The writing was ok, but probably because of the length and lack of backstory, it seemed a little weak. I just didn't feel their motivations (except of course the actual Tunisians). So I think if this story was twice as long, it would have been great. As it is, I'd just say good.
June 3, 2015
I found this graphic novel very interesting. It provided a view into the lives of hackers and their roles in rebellions. (Not to say all hackers are making rebellions happen around the world.) I found fault in that it was predictable. Two friends that become successful, then split over different ideas, a rebellion in an Arabic speaking country and government involvement. Let's see what happens next.
November 8, 2015
Add equal parts politics and computer programming and sadly you get a book I just couldn't get into. While the real life parallels were clear I never could accept that this is a real scenario. I thought the book lacked exposition at times and the dialogue fell flat. The art good and clean. Overall, this wasn't a book I could relate to in any way.
February 5, 2016
Public library copy.
Milano was a childhood crush of mine, I'm uncertain of her role her in terms of world biilding, characters, plotting, or conflict. She's simply labeled as a creator but others handled the scripting and drawing to bring the story to life. This effort, while a nice attempt, wasn't my cup of tea.
Milano was a childhood crush of mine, I'm uncertain of her role her in terms of world biilding, characters, plotting, or conflict. She's simply labeled as a creator but others handled the scripting and drawing to bring the story to life. This effort, while a nice attempt, wasn't my cup of tea.
March 20, 2016
Making a graphic novel about using social media and the powers of the internet to subvert authority and fight opression is a worthy cause, but it kind of stops there. It's a noble effort, but it's a very light treatment of complex issues. Seems like more of an awareness-raising piece than a story in its own right.
December 6, 2016
a pretty good reading story. it was a complicated issue about technology, revolution, government and social networks. it doesn't much of the time taking about Tunisia and a revolution there.
the world's largest social network is a front for a pair of hackers who just want to save the world. naturally the government gets involved and screwed it all up.
the world's largest social network is a front for a pair of hackers who just want to save the world. naturally the government gets involved and screwed it all up.
November 20, 2014
What do you say about a short graphic novel that took a week to read? Not much.
The artwork and lettering was good but the storyline was lackluster. It was an intriguing concept but not much more than that.
The artwork and lettering was good but the storyline was lackluster. It was an intriguing concept but not much more than that.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews