Death Ratio'd Vol. 1 #1

by Mark Russell, Laci (inker), Marco Lesko (colorist)

In this futuristic dark comedy by Eisner and ‘Ringo Award-winning writer Mark Russell, life and death are ruled by social media. One too many dislikes...and you’re dead. When Arnold awakes from a coma twenty years into the future, he discovers that government is a thing of the past and society is now entirely ruled by social media. Literally. Enough “likes” and “upvotes” can unlock fame and fortune but — watch your step! — enough “thumbs down” clicks and the nifty metal collar around your neck explodes – and you’re dead. Now, confused and running on his last Like, Arnold must navigate a hazardous obstacle course in which social media cliques provide the only safe refuge, aware that the slightest online misstep can be fatal.

Genres: Comics

45 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 29, 2024

About the author

Mark Russell is the author of God Is Disappointed in You and Apocrypha Now. He also writes the comic book series Prez and The Flintstones for DC Comics. He lives and works in Portland, Oregon.

Reviews

[Rick Ray]

A satirical take on the rising sociological impact of social media, primarily in the role it will play in societal downfall. This is basically Mark Russell's bread-and-butter at this point. He returns to AWA Studios following his successful outing writing another futuristic comedy series, Not All Robots, so for fans of that miniseries, this one-shot comic will be right up their alley.

Death Ratio'd is told from the perspective of a man who wakes up from a twenty-two year long coma to the year 2046. The concept of a centralized government no longer exists and instead society lives completely at the whims of social media. This should be pure democratization in practice but as we all expect, social media brings out the worst in everyone. The main character serves as the reader's avatar towards understanding just how terrible everything is where people must survive off getting enough "likes" to prevent an explosive collar from detonating. It's a silly concept for sure, but Russell's patented wry humor really makes it work.

While Russell's take on social media isn't by any means new or original, the enjoyment of Death Ratio'd comes from the solid jokes that do land their punchlines well. Laci's artwork isn't anything truly inspiring, as the world of Death Ratio'd doesn't seem all that fleshed out beyond what is written down. It's very functional art that gets the job done. Most of the gags are from dialogue not from the art, so it's really the strengths of Russell's writing that will make this a more worthwhile time. It's an enjoyable and funny comic that handles the satirical aspects well enough.

[Mening Nathan]

Nice dystopian sci-fi concept and art. Wish there was more?

[47Time]

Interesting premise, though I seem to remember seeing it before in a movie or TV show. People rating other people to the point of killing them. The human psyche is revealed in all its splendor. When the petty have power over you, you can be darn sure they will abuse it. I only wish the story was longer.

Arnold Lane is a coma patient wakes after 22 years. In this dystopian world governed by social media, he is told that his hospital expenses were paid by his Sickstarter campaign. Everyone wears a collar that collects their likes and dislikes from other people via small devices called clickers. Too many dislikes results in death. Compliance is the only way to survive.

A good survival option is joining a clan. Lane sees it as a mistake and discovers just how fragile everyone's ego is. The snowflakes hammer him with dislikes, pushing him to within one like of blowing up. He becomes desperate, while everyone around him realises he is begging for likes.

A man named Fred provides a possible solution. His methods are clearly illegal: he is using fake IDs and multiple clickers. He is part of an underground community of hated individuals. They survive by kidnapping, killing and impersonating people with good social standing. Arnold's only solution is to join them, but when he is asked to kill his girlfriend Ellen (who was thought dead), he refuses. The two escape the city together. Why didn't they do that in he first place?

[Christian]

[3.5]
Good art. The premise is simplistic but it works. The writing is good, but many characters behave like robots. I understand that is a way to hammer home the setting and exaggerated effect it has on the people but I would enjoy more realistic characters. It is close to being condescending to the reader.

I like the atmosphere and Mark goes a good job of walking the line between fun and extreme on one side, and serious societal critique on the other. While the world building and societal investigation is a large part of the story, as in most sci-fi tales, there is also a good connection with the main character and his personal fate. I enjoyed the mix.

I would have liked it to take its time and be longer, but as a one shot it is still a nice read that accomplishes a lot on few pages

[Kevin MacDonald]

Mark Russell delivers with yet another solid satiric vision of the future. Just like with Not All Robots, Russell identifies a growing pattern in our lives and takes it to another level to emphasize importance of our humanity. The art and world-building is serviceable, although I feel this story could not have gone much further than the one-shot format.

[Erin]

Lil preachy.

[Kris Shaw]

It seems ludicrous, but think back to 2004. Did you see anything that's happened to society because of social media happening?

[Alan]

I know writers who use subtext, and they're all cowards!

[J New]

Great read straight from Black Mirror!

[Valéria.]

Once more, Mark Russell knows how to entertain me.

[GooglyEye Superman]

Forever in awed of Mark Russel's aptitude for satiric worldbuilding