Junction True

by Ray Fawkes

"We brought down the genome patents and open-sourced the medical profession. That was us. We crashed the plastic surgery business. We paved the way for parasite chic. The body became a new kind of playground and we, celebrating the future, we became the Neumod." In the near-future Neumod culture of parasite addicts and hardcore one-upmanship, Dirk Brody has found love. He'll do anything to prove himself to the woman of his dreams -- even if it means blurring the boundaries of his flesh with the radical, illegal Junction True procedure. Once he starts, he can never go back...

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Horror

129 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2015

About the author

Ray Fawkes is the critically-acclaimed author of the comics and graphic novels Underwinter, Intersect, One Soul, The People Inside, The Spectral Engine, Possessions, and Junction True, as well as Batman: Eternal, Constantine, Justice League Dark, and Gotham by Midnight (DC), Wolverines (Marvel), Black Hammer '45 (Dark Horse), Jackpot! (AfterShock) and more. He is an Eisner, Harvey, and Shuster award nominee and a YALSA award winner.

Ray has been making comics for over 20 years, starting with and continuing the tradition of DIY fiction as well as working for many major comics publishers in the U.S. and Canada.

Reviews

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

I'll start off by saying that I passionately hated this graphic novel. That I reacted so strongly and negatively on a visceral level yet am rating this 5 stars really is a testament to the writing and illustration talent. For what we have with Junction True is a raw, scathing, and horrifying look at society; one that unflinchingly rips off scabs hiding the jaded ennui of our modern age. After finishing this fully contained story, expect to feel queasy, questioning, and perhaps worried about how we view love and relationships today and tomorrow.

Story: In the near future, the young and rebellious have opted for the 'tattoos/piercings' of the 21st century: neumods. The most popular surgeries are genetically modified parasite insertions: hallucinogenic aphids released through tears, phosphorescent tape worms, leech lines, gmod mites - if you want a cool parasite, you can get one specially made for you and show how anarchic you are. In this world Dirk is a decent guy who falls for hard for Teralyn. She's beautiful and mysterious, a heady mix for the young punk. But she only wants one thing from him - absolute surrender to become the her ultimate parasite. She gives him a week to decide on a special procedure that would forever bond him to her - to become a puppet whose only source of food would be Teralyn. While he decides, his best friend Naoko is researching Neumod disaster stories (surgeries gone wrong) and is disgusted at what Dirk is attempting to do. And should Teralyn become bored with her parasite puppet, Naoko will take things into her own hands....

At its heart, this is a story about the nature of love. Readers will likely become fixated on the S&M type of angle of a puppet but that is the effect, not the cause. Why Dirk wholeheartedly agrees to the procedure and his unconditional surrender to become a parasite to Teralyn is the exploration done by the author. Taken a bit deeper, Dirk and Teralyn are pure Id and Naoko is the super ego attempting to ground Dirk. It is the stream of consciousness of the future and it is disturbing. Add in instant updating blogs on the procedures and research by Dirk and Naoko and author Fawkes has nailed the zeitgeist of the future.

The illustrations are beautiful and scary - dreamy and water color hazy. From goth to punk, fantasy to horror, they tell the story in ways that make absolute sense - and further the unease. Naoko's grounded black to Teralyn's dreamy blue - this is a daydream in the color of a bruise.

The horror of the story, the vilest thing of all, is the complete and utter debasement of Dirk by Teralyn in demanding the operation. The procedure - the ultimate puppet parasite, and the flippant manner she treats the operation in contrast to the all-or-nothing drive by Dirk is very unsettling. Driving home the horror, the procedure is given specific details both in dialogue and then in images. This is definitely not for the faint of heart and I ended the read feeling absolutely sick to my stomach. Not from the physical scenes but from the callous and thorough destruction of Dirk and everything that entailed.

Naoko's interviews of neumod victims are interesting as well - all kinds of horrific scarring after neumod operations gone wrong (worms eating half the face off, ruined limbs, etc.). Cunningly, author Fawkes slots the interviews into the 5 stages of grief, from acceptance to anger. The payoff comes in the end when Naoko reflects on Dirk and Teralyn and the neumod scene.

Of note, I've read a few interviews of the author/reviews and I have to admit, I feel like people are missing the point of the book. Silly comparisons calling this "50 Shades meets The Matrix" or discussions about this being an S&M title so completely swim at the shallowest of interpretations as to be kind of sad (and I admit I felt sorry for the author for having to field some really ridiculous questions about the puppet procedure). Really read close and I think it becomes obvious that Junction True is about relationships: a morphing definition of love and the marginalization/corruption of connection and intimacy in the 21st century.

The parasite fad in Junction True can easily be summed up as the ultimate lover in a technologically connected and emotionally disconnected world: a partner who will never leave you because it is fully dependent upon you. The question is - is that what we really want or need? The answers in this book to that question is the scariest thing of all. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Axel Barceló · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dark reflection on our relationship to our bodies and to each other. As is not rare in sci fi, big questions are addressed under thinly veiled symbolism.

[I'mogén · Rating 4 out of 5]

Junction True introduces us to a near future Earth, taken by storm with a new craze where, from what I understand, people ingest parasites into their body as a kind of high and for them to move beneath the skin in attractive patterns, as a form of body modification... However, with the faze hurriedly increasing, it becomes a mutilated and dangerous life threatening, sadistic act. The synopsis doesn't clarify much...

I decided to give this graphic novel a 4 stars because it's just so unique. The art style, especially, was something that I've not come across before, it almost looks as if water colour was used and gave a really striking compliment (with the hues used) to the story it went with.

As for the story, I found it totally unique too and I found myself understanding it and being able to follow the plot much easier than I was expecting, but at the same time I did find this to be so out there, it appeared almost ridiculous in nature. That sounds harsh, but I can't describe it any other way.

In this graphic novel, we're following a selection of the underground parasite users and take a trip into their twisted, sadistic world, which I LOVED! The main character, Dirk, was a pretty interesting guy and although he lacked major character development, it was still interesting to see his thoughts in favour of this craze. His friend, who's name I didn't catch, was definitely more my kind of girl and somebody who I would have preferred as a main character, although she still did have a lot of influence in the story. As for Teralyn... She was definitely explored the most as from the beginning we are really hearing the story from her... If that makes sense? She was interestingly cruel and I found a flaw: when Teralyn ordered Dirk to say ''we'' and ''us'', she still said ''you'' at times, but I guess it wouldn't be clear if she didn't... Still...

The ending was not what I was expecting but was eerily satisfying, and be warned: there are graphic images throughout!!!

Being a graphic novel it only took me a few hours to read through this and it was super gripping throughout, with no loss of intensity as it was shown well in image and text in the amount of pages it had. A suggested read for those who like darker, near future, twisted genres.

(Received in exchange for an honest review on Netgalley- does not affect my opinion.)

Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén

[Stewart Tame · Rating 3 out of 5]

This intriguing little book caught my eye at the public library. It's set in the near future where an underground scene involving surgical body modifications has sprung up. Dirk, in an attempt to prove himself to the woman of his dreams, agrees to her proposal that he become her puppet. This involves installing junctions which seal off his digestive system, making him entirely dependent on her for food. If she doesn't connect her junction to his, he doesn't eat. What happens to them as a result of this, I'll leave for the reader to discover, but you'll likely guess how it ends after the first couple of pages. The artwork is lovely, some very fine painting from Vince Locke. The writing, courtesy of Ray Fawkes, is pretty average. Don't get me wrong: this isn't bad, just not much better than average. The tone tries for decadent, but comes off as boring. The characters don't do much, just kind of drift through the story. Although this is for mature readers, and features some sexual themes, it follows the standard Boobies-Only code. There are some fairly graphic surgical images, but that's about it. Although I borrowed this from the library, I did notice the retail price on the jacket flap, and it seems high for what this is. For that kind of money, I'd expect a hardcover and/or a higher page count.

[S.E. Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance copy of this graphic novel through NetGalley in Exchange for an honest review.

A really cool graphic novel. The artwork was interesting and the story compelling... though incredibly weird. The three star rating is because i did not really get into the story, especially with the characters. I felt more interested in the subculture that was being studied than the two MCs and their struggle.

[Diptarup Ghosh Dastidar · Rating 4 out of 5]

The graphic novel depicts a post-human world where body modifications are in vogue, and being a tale of one such case of bod-mod which makes history and creates a legend in said world, the narrative offers to provoke the readers' minds about the (in)humanity of prosthesis. I liked the artwork which has got a water-color effect that suggests a fading of memory as happens in the story, which in turn was alright although I found it a bit rushed!

[John Mihelic · Rating 3 out of 5]

They’re trying to say something about the future of human modification and the world as a panopticon where you’re always public. But it just didn’t quite come together for me.

[Silence · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the future, hipsters have been replaced with Neumods, people who are willing to put parasites in their bodies for the sake of beauty. Depending on the parasite you can have anything from moving tattoos to hallucinogenic tears. It seems harmless at first, but further in you realize that parasites are considered plagues for a reason. They are destructive creatures that capitalize on their dependency to their host. No one knows that better than Dirk, a blogger who instantly and obsessively falls for a girl named Teralyn. So much so that he is willing to become her living parasite by having a procedure that makes him only able to receive food and water from her by “joining”. Here is what you need to know before you decide to read Junction True: It is not for the faint of heart. There are no happy endings and the general brutality of Neumods, their culture, and the absolute wretchedness of Teralyn as a whole make it impossible to see a silver lining. It is a dark read that highlights the fact that we already live in a society where celebrities and sensationalism reign supreme. Honestly, parasites are a small leap away from some of the crazy plastic surgeries we see. There is some solid world building, and Fawkes covers a lot of ground in this stand-alone. However, the romantic relationship between Dirk and Teralyn is so emotionally extreme and shallow that you might end up hating them both. This is for readers who want a taste of the dark and strange.

*I would like to thank Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.*

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Junction True' by Ray Fawkes and Vince Locke is at first the kind of nightmarish car wreck you can't take your eyes away from, but becomes even scarier as an indictment of modern obsessive relationships.

In the not too distant future body modification has become pretty extreme. Extreme to the point where surgery alters the body so that it can't live without a symbiote. Dirk Brody has found his love and this is what she wants for them. A unification that is a puppet dependent upon a host. This is what Dirk wants with his love Teralyn. That she never reciprocates those feelings to him, except in sex and violence doesn't seem to perturb Dirk. Dirk's friend Naoko is a blogger of the future. With cameras always on, she is learning of the horrors of what Dirk is about to do to himself and she is trying to stop him.

The illustrations are a bit hazy and unformed and I think they go brilliantly with a story about a man who is blinded by love to the point of mutilating himself and potentially dying. Naoko is that friend that sees what is happening and tries desperately to intervene, and Teralyn has her own motives. Ones in which love doesn't seem to play a part. It's a severe story to read and one you want to look away from, but you just can't.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Top Shelf Productions, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this...I guess? I've said this before, but I really mean it this time. This one is weird.

Let's start with the easier part of the review. I liked the art, which incorporated watercolor and had a "Goth aesthetic."

Okay...and the rest. This book is about a lot of things all rolled into one, some of which I'm sure I forgot to list:

-Unhealthy relationships, including destructive co-dependent ones, and drug-fueled ones
-Complexity of biotechnology, ethics, defining what it is to be human
-Dumb young people trying to be "cool" and unique
-Social media and how it impacts trends and interactions

I don't know. If you're the type of person to be intrigued by the fact that this is f'n weird, and you won't be traumatized by a messed up girl taking advantage of a guy who is stupidly infatuated with her to literally make his life dependent on her as a parasite in order for her to unsuccessfully pursue power/chasing an elusive emotional connection or high/wanting to be a famous novelty, and the infatuated guy's best friend putting together an investigative journalism piece/documentary about why the technology is bad, and then taking revenge on the messed up girl, then read this.

Otherwise, pass. This is definitely not for everyone. I do appreciate that it's not like anything I've read anytime recently.

[Sara J. (kefuwa) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Horribly, horribly disturbing book. Art is gorgeous (but disturbing), story is also compelling (but disturbing).

But this book probably has more kernels of truth (than not) regarding the degeneration of intimacy and what a relationship actually means nowadays. Discontent and restlessness and the total inability to come to terms with self outside of some grand signboard to the world stating as such ... results in a culture where people are finding more and more outrageous and different ways to 'feel'.

Have we so lost touch of ourselves that much?

[Derek Royal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating premise, and a satisfying story. Also, quite curious design choices. We're discussing this as one of our books for The Comics Alternative's publisher spotlight on Top Shelf, which will go up this week.

[tyto · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is an interesting graphic novel, the artwork is different and the story is thought-provoking.

[paulina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful, strange, perverse graphic novel about body mods and sadomasochism social media culture. It’s dystopian in a way that feels both extreme and not so far off. The illustration style is compelling and unique - watercolor but dark, vivid but spare.

My best friend sent me Juction True and I consumed it in one sitting. It’s brutal and cruel, with obvious Victorian influences: the consumption-based modification, the intensity and speed of Dirk’s devotion.

I really enjoyed this: a quick read with engaging imagery and a disturbing, compelling plot.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 for story, 5 for art. So, 4 stars.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received a free e-galley of this book from Netgalley.

I had no expectations going into "Junction True." I knew it was a comic, and I assumed it was sci-fi since I'd requested the galley, but it had been so long since I'd read the description that I no longer remembered anything about it.

So at least I wasn't disappointed. This is a fairly solid, middle-of-the-pack story about body modification and power. The main character, a woman named Teralyn, is telling the first several issues of the story to what appears to be her lover. She's telling the story of her largest, most significant body modification.

In this world, mods are common (in certain circles, called Neumods) but fairly dangerous. They're also generally not mechanical; they're organic, like aphid tears you can install in your tear ducts to cry psychedelic tears, or tapeworms you can eat to make yourself skinny, or small creatures you can put under your skin to make colorful patterns. Of course, being insects and parasites and bacteria and viruses, these things can do a lot of damage. Teralyn meets Dirk at a club and he instantly falls in love with her. She instantly sees how she can use him; she tells him she only wants a puppet, and he agrees to be that puppet. Together, they decide to undertake a dangerous, horrifying mod, one that has been done on few people because it's illegal: they will essentially install junctions into their bodies that will make Dirk's digestion dependent on Teralyn. He can't process nutrients except as she feeds them through their junction. If she takes drugs and connects to him, he will get high whether he wants to or not.

Dirk's journalist friend Naoko doesn't think this is a good idea. (Neither do I.) She documents the stories of people whose Neumods have gone horribly wrong, and we see those interviews throughout the story. Some believe the mods ruined their lives, others think that their deformities are just one of many possible outcomes of Neumods - they made an informed decision going in, and they'd make it again. But Dirk agrees to this true junction (so named because the junctions are true to one another; no other link can be formed with them) after knowing Teralyn only a little more than a week, and Naoko is concerned.

She's right to be. Teralyn has never exactly hidden her crazy from Dirk, but she insists that they only refer to themselves as "I" or "we," never "you," and only "Teralyn," not Dirk. Only Teralyn exists. It may not even be a week before she runs off, leaving him to starve.

At this point, Teralyn stops narrating her story, saying she doesn't know or care what happened to him. She assumes he's dead. But then, he and Naoko enter. Dirk is hooked up to a machine, his junction torn out, and asks to speak to Teralyn alone while a video records them. He tells her he only wants to be a part of her again, and then kills himself. His friends are not so kind - they forcibly remove her junction and connect her to Dirk's machine.

We see that the true narrator is Naoko; this is perhaps a book, or video-chronicle, of the story she is compiling. She feels guilt for what she did to Teralyn and spends the rest of her life caring for the now-invalid woman.

The story is haunting and dark. The dynamic between Teralyn and Dirk falls just short of disturbing because Dirk, to me, doesn't feel hopelessly in love, or like he wants to be controlled, or like he actually knows what he wants at all; he feels stupid. We don't get much depth from him and could do with more. I'm not a fan of 'love at first sight' or Romeo & Juliet stories, both of which this story works with, because they feel shallow. That's a good word to describe my general feelings toward the book: shallow. It wants to say a lot about power, sex, relationships, autonomy, but it doesn't have much to say about them, and it lays it all out on the page. The characters aren't substantial enough to make up for the the brief plot, either, so it's left feeling lacking.

The art is, at times, beautiful. It reminds me of certain issues of The Sandman, with its angular faces, blue-washed watercolors and populated backgrounds. But it's also visually dark, and while there's a good amount of detail, it gets lost in the darkness. There's a grimy feel to it, which is certainly intentional since this is a cyberpunk-y world, but it doesn't appeal to me very much.

A quick, solid read that certainly wasn't bad, but wasn't excellent.

[Lady Entropy · Rating 4 out of 5]

(ARC provided by netgalley)

This book is hauntingly beautiful, and just as disturbing.

Oh, I am sure some metaphor for this era's addiction to the new and the different and being "in the centre of attention" is out there somewhere, but I was so taken by the story I couldn't actually really care.

It is subtle, and it hides its character's motivations well, but if you poke deep into it you can get some oddly defined, and determinedly human characters -- there is only one character who really has no motivations because he is needed to be the narrator, so his entire place in the scheme is a bit... off. The main trio have believable, strong motivations, but this secondary character feels tacked in for the simple purpose of ushering in the plot twist.

That ends up being my chief issue with the book, because unless he is desperately in love with either of the two friends, his presence, actions and motivations make no sense. Love is a possibility, but then it failed to be made obvious, in my opinion.

The whole thing has a distinctive cyberpunk vibe to it, more than gothic, I believe -- the whole "new and shiny" and the love of modification and style over substance was what makes me see it as more than just "being misunderstood because the sheep are stupid" that I get from goth. Then again, both movements have a lot in common, so it might not be that different, in the end.

Read this if you like the cyberpunk aesthetics, and messy, complicated stories that don't end well, but kick you in the gut while you are reading them. That, and if you like human, deeply flawed characters who make mistakes, and live to regret them very deeply.

[Siina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Junction True was surely a nasty and beautiful comic both at the same time. The idea is marvelous, scary and possible - the new generation of youngsters are pushing the limits of being human. People experiment with parasites that so much like drugs usually end up destroying them. The newest hype is Junction True, a surgery that makes a couple a puppeteer and a puppet. The puppeteer feeds the puppet and they are bind to one another and if the puppeteer so chooses, the puppet will die. Dirk feels in love with Teralyn, but Junction True isn't such a bliss and they both, as well as Naoko, have to deal with consequences and falling in and out of love. Who uses who is a really good question. So, the comic is very dystopian and even poetic - and sometimes there's no explanation and thus this all is quite philosophic.

The art is beautiful, very Sláine like and artistic. The colors are soft pastel ones and even greyish. The comic reminds me of the Sandman series. The style is very sad and hollow, which works out nicely. I do like the art in its crudeness and the line work is very thing and light. The panels vary and the narration is in balance too. In a way the text boxes don't really fit though, since they are too clear and oddly enough, look cheap. Dreamlike ones would've worked better for sure. Junction True is an interesting comic about a possible future and afterwards you feel nasty in a good way. It's surely art and all that jazz.

[Eric T. Voigt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have little patience for stories about bad things happening to bad people. My patience was blown three-quarters of the way through. The romantic (???) leads were stupid, selfish hipsters of the not-so-distant future, interesting until their second lap around the same tired track they continued to run for the rest of the comic. The story isn't bad, and the scene they're a part of is interesting, more vignettes of failed neumods would've been great, but it's made so flat and listless when told through the main pair. The art is an absolute dream, though. Sexy and grisly gory, hallucinatory, hip. Watercolor magick. Without that to focus on I'd be giving this 2 stars, but because of the truly impressive visuals I'm torn about only giving it a 3. Nice try, it just didn't work that well for me, to the two semi-local dudes (Michigan artist/Toronto, Canadian author: hell yeah).

[GONZA · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was in doubt between giving 1 star because the disgusting topic (well illustrated anyway) of 4 because the story is epic, I mean, I can't even start to imagine how can somebody think about something like that, but as I don't want to spoiler I wouldn't say what this graphic novel is about, but is surely food for thoughts.

Ero in dubbio se dare 1 stella, perché sono stata anche disgustata dall'argomento (per quanto be disegnato sia chiaro), oppure 4 perché la storia é qualcosa di fantastico e visionrio, voglio dire che nemmeno posso arrivare a concepire come qualcuno possa aver immaginato una cosa del genere, che non diró per non spoilerare, ma che comunque é veramente un argomento che lascia pensare.

THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND DIAMOND BOOK DISTRIBUTORS FOR THE PREVIEW!

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Take yourself down to any nearby university campus, fast food or coffee outlet or dole office and you will see them – countless young people with too many tattoos, piercings, flesh-rings and, quite frankly, what counts as even worse that I'd rather not think about. You haven't seen the future of this, however, although Ray Fawkes has, and it's not nice. This is a near-future where people inject parasites to create moving tattoos, where body modification has reached untold limits – except people are still keen to push those limits, to the extent they lose their humanity…

For my full review please turn to http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/i...

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the best thing I've read from Ray Fawkes.

The idea of risky, illegal, futuristic body modifications isn't new, but Fawkes' particular concept and illustration elevate the plot significantly. This is the first book in a long time that has made me feel physically queasy. Definitely one I am going to be thinking about for a while.

And the book itself is beautifully designed. Usually I don't find that worth noting, but this was texturally pleasant to read — a nice reprieve from the distressing subject matter.

[Jamie Lynn Lano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. Well, it wasn't anything new per-se, but this GN certainly managed to tell a really captivating, and dark, story. Super-dark is more like it. It was definitely thought-provoking and I borrowed the book from my girlfriend, but I am thinking of buying my own copy just so that I can loan it out to friends who need a little dose of darkness.

[P. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the idea of Neumods is fascinating. I wish I could have heard different stories of people in this world other than the main characters. Cool idea, not really fleshed out emotionally with the story that is told, at least not in subtle details. But if you are looking for the very high and low points of a story about biological modification, then you will like this.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful.....love story? I can't really describe this graphic novel, but it was very beautiful and unlike anything I've ever read. In a time where people are altering themselves in ways that reminded me of a Kafka novel, one person decides to take it one step further because of his love of another. A must read for any Ray Fawkes fan.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my usual read, as messed up and kind of freaky as this was, I liked it, to a point. I actually could see this made into a small indy movie one day. The artwork grew on me. Initially I wasn't a fan, but it fit the story.

I received an advanced copy of this from NetGalley.com and the publisher

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Nightmarish fever dream about the obsessive side of love in a an alarmingly realistic future. What the fuck did I just read, & why couldn't this have come out a few years ago when I could have really used these kinds of insights? Thought provoking, if nothing else.

[Vilmos Kondor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sheer beauty of the illustrations is breathtaking but I'm not sure I got the morals of the story. Maybe there was not one or it was well hidden - or it was in front of me, I don't really care. It was a feast for my eyes.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

A disturbing story set in the near future where people perform body modification to express themselves. Vince Locke's art is haunting.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful art. Story a little underdeveloped.