Upgrade Soul

Upgrade Soul #1-2

by Ezra Claytan Daniels

For their 45th anniversary, Hank and Molly Nonnar decide to undergo an experimental rejuvenation procedure, but their hopes for youth are dashed when the couple is faced with the results: severely disfigured yet intellectually and physically superior duplicates of themselves. Can the original Hank and Molly coexist in the same world as their clones?

In Upgrade Soul, McDuffie Award-winning creator Ezra Claytan Daniels asks probing questions about what shapes our identity-Is it the capability of our minds or the physicality of our bodies? Is a newer, better version of yourself still you? This page-turning graphic novel follows the lives of Hank and Molly as they discover the harsh truths.

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

272 pages, Paperback

First published September 18, 2018

About the author

Ezra Claytan Daniels is a writer and illustrator based in Los Angeles, CA. His work has been featured at the Fantoche International Animation Festival in Baden, Switzerland; the Fumetto International Comics Festival in Lucerne, Haarlem Stripdagen in the Netherlands; and the Whitney Museum. His graphic novel, Upgrade Soul, was the recipient of the 2017 Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics, nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album, and was named one of the best books of 2018 by Publishers Weekly, Vulture, The Library Journal, and Paste.

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

A two volume science fiction story about an older couple who elect to go through a procedure to extend their lives, and of course it goes wrong, they become these weird blobby creatures, where cloning is also involved. So it's sci fi, but also a kind of futuristic horror. Of course as you get older many of the social media ads are about miracle drugs to help extend your life, live forever. And billions of dollars are spent annually on plastic surgery, skin care, and so on. Either way, some kind of constant change in who you are is inevitable.

So is love possible as you change (uh, yes)? Is love even possible even if your newly cloned self is very, very different? What is the source of truly meaningful relationships? Is it found in physicality, chemistry, or in other kinds of connections/commitments? In the soul, maybe? These are perennial and not new sci fi/AI questions, but Daniels' characters are interesting and unique. We meet others--besides the older couple--seeking the treatment, one who has been physically disfigured? Is it different in this case to seek an "upgrade"? Worth checking out.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Updated (Sept. 19/18) Apparently this book has now been optioned to be turned into a film. I would definitely check that out -- I think it's likely that the things I found confusing could be better explained in a film version.

Upgrade Soul has an interesting premise: an elderly couple decide to undergo an experimental treatment but it goes very wrong, leaving them disfigured and questioning whether they made the right decision.

I'm not entirely sure how to rate this book. On the one hand, the story was unique and the idea was interesting. On the other hand, the frequent flashbacks and art style left me confused at times. I didn't want to race through this, but I also didn't want to abandon it. So a middle of the road ranking from me with a 2.5 rounded up to 3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors for providing me with a DRC of this book.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

A modern day Flowers for Algernon raising questions of identity and human experimentation. The premise is an elderly couple goes through a procedure to extend their lives that goes horribly wrong.

Given the technology presented and the ideas originally presented involved are similar to CRISPR, I'm not sure why the author set this during the early 90's instead of the near future. It requires an additional suspension of disbelief when scientists are talking to one another over old school audio visual equipment. I also had a hard time believing that a scientist would blindly volunteer to be a guinea pig without vetting the technology herself. It just wouldn't happen.

Once you get past the first couple of chapters and past these issues, the story evolves into one of identity and gets quite good. It explores what makes you, you. I won't delve any further, because if you're interested at this point, you should just read it yourself.

[Greta G]

In what’s being described as a David Cronenberg tale, an elderly couple decide to undergo an experimental rejuvenation procedure through “cell cleansing”.

Relying on the many approving reviews, I expected this hyped graphic novel to be a profoundly existential and mind-bending tale.

What I got instead was a dense, confusing and painfully slow tale about clones that look just like potatoes with baked hams for arms and legs.

I’m puzzled by the considerable amount of enthusiastic reviews but unfortunately this book didn’t give me what I hoped for and even less what I need so I abandoned the book at 40%.

[Samantha Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is, without a doubt, the best graphic novel I've ever had the pleasure of reading. It was sharp, intelligent, horrifying and graphic. The phrase "I couldn't put it down" hardly does it justice. I'm a sucker for any media which doesn't pander to an audience; books that presume the audience is intelligent, rather than treating us like spoon to mouth consumers. Ruminating on the implications of Daniels work is going to be my favorite part of finishing the novel--the thought experiment carries on.

Hank and Molly are undergoing a very dangerous procedure to cleanse their cells. A scientific breakthrough makes it possible for their youth to be reintroduced, the longevity of their already long-lived lives to renew, with ever improving mental faculties and physical abilities. What would you be if you had more time to live, were as fit as any athlete, and could remember every memory in your personal history like it happened yesterday?

Like all brave experiments, this one goes awry. Kenny, the sheepish scientist in charge of the transformation, leaves out one particularly important aspect of the rejuvenation process: Hank and Molly's bodies aren't the ones renewing. They're being cloned. As the experiment continues, only one set of Hank and Molly can survive, but which will it be?

So.Much. Humanity. In such a small volume. I wish that there was more already, and yet the story completes itself to a perfect crescendo. You won't believe how engrossed you can be in a graphic novel until you read this.

[Bill Hsu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the first 80-100 pages, when we're still figuring out what's going on. As usual, I found the explanations and the explicit plot mechanics less interesting, though Daniels offers a decent (if somewhat longwinded) treatment. I don't know about this business with a brain transmitting a specific "frequency" (?); why can't writers just leave out the dubious pseudo-science and let things be mysterious. There are some interesting ruminations about philosophical issues though.

[Amanja · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the spoiler free review of Upgrade Soul. If you would like to read the spoiler full review complete with all of the intense twists and turns please visit https://amanjareads.com/2020/06/10/up...

I get really excited when I can write a 5 star review that turns into just a gushing ramble of love and admiration for the work of art I just read. This is one of those.

Upgrade Soul has a lot of spoilers so this review will be fairly vague in plot and character points. But I can tell you that it has a level of twists and surprises and unbridled conflict that you haven't seen since you read Hamlet back in school.

The general premise of the graphic novel is that an elderly couple has agreed to take part in a risky and experimental procedure to expand their lifespan and make them feel even better than they did in their primes.

As can be guessed, things quickly go awry. The rest of the story deals with the consequences of going against the natural order of things as well as the actions of a scientist who has zero regard for ethical behavior.

This is not only one of the greatest modern philosophy books I've ever read but one of the most twisted mad scientist tales I've seen as well.

You can read this book in several ways:

As a sci fi thriller it will scare and intrigue you.

As an emotional drama about an elderly couple it will make you cry.

As a modern philosophy it will keep you up all night deep in thought and itching to discuss the greatest questions of existence.

And as a romance it will... well one couple will uplift your spirits and another will disturb you to your very core.

Combine all of that into one of the deepest and most complex yet still impeccably written books I've ever picked up.

Additionally, it lends itself well to the graphic novel format. The images of the couple post experiment enhance the story greatly. The pictures lift the whole book to the next level and take any guess work out of how your imagination could tone down what's happening.

It would be very easy for our minds to dilute the horror and sadness contained in these pages but the images put it front and center. You're not allowed to turn away.

Upgrade Soul is one to buy just so that you can lend it out. It cries out to be discussed with friends and family. Everyone is likely to take a slightly different stance on what they think is right and a healthy philosophical debate shall be had by all!

Please do yourself a favor and get a copy of this one for yourself and everyone you enjoy conversing with. Stay up until dawn discussing what it means to be human, what makes an individual, and what is ethical responsibility when dealing with human subjects.

All of that plus human interest drama for days!

Enjoy!

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Upgrade Soul is a thought-provoking take on risky ‘medical’ experimenting, on being your ‘best,’ strongest self, and the search for eternal youth via some key ethical issues in a way that I haven’t seen done before. For someone who studies identity, selfhood, and the comics medium, this graphic novel was nothing short of impressive.

Molly and Hank. Manuela and Henry. Originals and clones, more different than they are alike. The aftermath of their failed procedure is interspaced with flashbacks, which makes it easier for the reader to digest the very heavy subject matter. As one of the characters says at some point, “there’s some seriously screwed up stuff going on here.” More than the overall screwed-up-ness, there are some shocking turns the story takes.

The art style with the brightly washed panels reminded me of the 80s horror/sci-fi comics and the overall atmosphere and pacing resemble that of a psychological thriller. The lettering, however, made it difficult for me to read, even on a big screen. I am curious to see it in print.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Diamond Book Distributors, Lion Forge & the author for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

[Seth T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was put off for a long time from reading Upgrade Soul because of the cover, which evokes artsy fartsy indie comics mystique (like, real indie comics, the scary obtuse kind, not whatever crisply pacakaged competent stories Image and Dark House are putting out). I thought I was going to pick up this book and come away with something resembling a Feeling of what the creator might have been thinking about. Instead, Daniels delivers a fascinating sort of thriller that contemplates race and transhumanism and the ethics of living in the coming future. This was easily one of the most interesting books I read from 2018.

In Upgrade Soul, you've got this wealthy black couple (I mention their blackness because this is in part a story about identity and privilege and what happens when Things Change), a movie producer and a scientist. They are aging and in the American quest for immortality (or at least the next best thing, eternal youth) engage the services of a weird scientific venture designed to rejuvenate indefinitely. They will, hopefully, be younger, smarter, and freed from so many of the shackles that governed their lives previously.

And as with most "serious" science fiction (i.e. the non-adventure type), all that goes to crap and the really thoughtful stuff begins.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

What is life? What is a soul? What is a clone?

All of these questions and more are asked in this book about a couple trying to gain another go-round on the wheel of life, by having their souls put into new bodies, that in theory, will be better, younger, and stronger than their current ones.

However, it doesn't quite work out that way.



Not only do their new bodies not grow the way they are supposed to, but their old bodies are still alive and kicking.


Very disturbing graphic novel on the nature of what makes you, well, you. Both the clone as the original want their lives. Who deserves it? And is it ok to get a new life, in a body that is considered hideous?

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

[Amerie]

Whew. My heart still hurts.

[Barbara (The Bibliophage) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ezra Claytan Daniels is both author and illustrator of the new graphic novel, Upgrade Soul. In it, Hank and Molly decide to undergo an experimental procedure to regain their youth.

Daniels tells how this long-married couple makes such a momentous decision. He shows what kind of people they are, and also how they came to have the money to invest in such a thing. To do so, he uses both present-day images and flashbacks.

As you might imagine, the process doesn’t go quite as planned. The “medical” team might not be quite as qualified as Hank and Molly thought. The process might not be quite as proven. And if it had been, the novel wouldn’t have been so thought-provoking.

Conceptually, Daniels discusses some pretty intense topics. Lots of graphic novels have death as one of their themes. But not often as such a realistic impulse to spurn death and regain youth. Since my husband signed up last week for Medicare, thoughts about aging are very much on my mind. So Upgrade Soul was a good match for am evening’s reading.

Hank, Molly, and their caregivers also confront the question of identity, and what it means to be a person. If personhood includes the ability to both live and die, as well as think and feel, then the experimental results do indeed have a soul. Or do they? Are they just an extension of Hank’s and Molly’s souls? Heavy stuff, actually.

Musician and lyricist Tori Amos puts it this way, “I think you have to know who you are. Get to know the monster that lives in your soul, dive deep into your soul and explore it.”

Daniels conjures brightly washed images, alternately stark and almost shocking. He draws Hank and Molly with empathy and care. They’ve remained in my mind’s eye even after finishing the novel.

My conclusions:
Upgrade Soul is a compelling story, and worth an evening’s time. I appreciate Daniels’ ability to discuss the process of aging and the desire to reverse time. He takes an innovative and intelligent approach to both topics. At the same time, he creates a suspenseful story.

Acknowledgements:
Thanks to NetGalley, Lion Forge, Diamond Book Distributors, and the author for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in exchange for this honest review. Anticipated publication date is September 18, 2018.

Originally published on my blog, TheBibliophage.com.

[Stewart Tame · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! I had never heard of this book before, but it looked interesting, so I picked it up on a whim. I was a great deal better than I was expecting.

Hank and Molly Nonnar are an elderly couple who undergo an experimental rejuvenation procedure: Upgrade Cell. Things don't go as expected. Can the original Hank and Molly coexist with their physically and mentally superior--albeit severely disfigured--clones?

Upgrade Soul raises all sorts of interesting questions about identity, medical ethics, and what it means to be human. The characters are richly detailed and believable. The art is lovely … reminds me a bit of Geoff Darrow in places. All in all, it's a nice, satisfyingly deep story. Recommended!

[John Elbe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Original review 2021:
I received this beautiful collectors edition of Upgrade Soul as a gift this Christmas. This had been high on my want list. With even higher expectations for the story itself, I couldn't wait to read it. It delivered on so many levels and continues even after the book ends. This goes down as one of the greatest without a doubt.

From the afterward by Karama Horne "...the story doesn't begin or end anywhere near where you think it will."

Don't have anything spoiled for you. Just read it.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best graphic novels I've read all year

[Ignacio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este tebeo sobre la búsqueda de la inmortalidad a través de la clonación funciona mejor en el pequeño drama entre los participantes del experimento que en la resolución. Una vez más, una historia de este tipo deriva hacia el "hay un psicokiller suelto en la instalación" que degrada las 200 páginas anteriores de indagación en la experiencia humana. Al menos en ese giro hay también un matiz irónico sobre nuestra soberbia y nuestro egoísmo que demuestra el control de Ezra Claytan Daniels hasta cuando está menos inspirado. Algo también evidente en la excelente puesta en página de Actualizar alma.

[Diane Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Upgrade Soul is a thought-provoking new graphic novel about the nature of humanity and the dangers of technology.

Hank and Molly are rich and elderly. They decide to do an experimental medical treatment that promises to make them young and healthy again. Problems occur. Ethical questions arise. What does it mean to be human? Is it the mind or the body that defines humanity? What is the impact of the changes brought on by aging? The unexpected turns of the plot are the best part of Upgrade Soul. To avoid spoilers, I won’t say more.

Wow, I adored this philosophical graphic novel! It makes the reader think about many profound issues that resonate long after the novel is finished. It also won a Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics. Upgrade Soul is highly recommended. 5 stars!

Thanks to the publisher, Lion Forge, and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

[Maia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This comic pulls no punches. It's a complicated and emotional story of human scientific daring and utter folly. The lead characters are Hank and Molly Nonnar, a couple who have been married for 45 years. Molly is a doctor and researcher, and Hank is an author who writes novels about the popular sci-fi character his father invented in the 1950s. A big movie deal gives him the funds to begin investing in a ground-breaking, but under-tested, experiment: a way to rejuvenate and improve the body at the cellar level. Hank and Molly sign up as the first human test subjects, and the results are stranger and more devastating than either could ever have imagined. Gorgeously drawn and luminously colored.

[hweatherfield · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slightly disappointed in both story and art. A microcosm of a situation written out so blandly (as the potatoes the clones resemble) that it made for a boring narrative with only hints of meaning barely keeping it together. Interesting concept with lots of potential, but delivered in a way that at times literally made me want to skip over pages. Only in the end did I feel it pick up. The art isn't so bad, I enjoyed the style and coloring. Just a repetitive graphic novel in general.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this deluxe hardcover for dirt cheap at Hero Con 2 years ago and now finally have read it. An older couple, Hank and Molly Nonnar, have agreed to a secret experimental procedure that is to supposed to revitalize then making them stronger, smarter, get rid of their medical issues and add years to their life. They have never had kids but now with these new hopes they have been talking about starting a family if the procedure is a success. However, not everything has been disclosed the Nonnars. They made clones of them and all the physical upgrades went to these clones. You can imagine the disappointment in the Nonnars after this revelation. This was an interesting premise that unfortunately flows along in a kind of boring fashion. I never found myself really sucked that deep into the story. But the last two issues heat up and the story takes an unforeseen turn and some terrible decisions were made giving this a sad jacked up ending.

[Melanie (Perpetually Reading) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daniel's graphic novel, "Upgrade Soul" uses beautiful graphics and dialogue to create an engaging story that's hard not to talk about.

This story features an elderly couple, Molly and Hank, who undergo a advanced, untested procedure to get new, younger bodies. However, they soon learn that the whole operation is not what it seems. It begs the question, if our consciousness was a collection of our thoughts, memories, and experiences, can we just "upload" them into a new body? If we do, are we who we were before?

I loved how the story cuts back and forth between the past and present. The structure not only gives the reader a thorough background of why Molly and Hank decided on undergoing this risky procedure, but also that this whole situation could've been avoided. It made me want to reach over, pat them on the back and tell them that everything just looks greener on the other side.

It was very refreshing to have such a straightforward path through this story. Daniels does a great job presenting a difficult and complicated idea in a easy to understand form, and I appreciated the fact that I didn't have to think too hard while I was reading. I was able to enjoy the ride, and reflect on it myself afterwards.

In all, this novel was a solid 5-star read, and I'd love to see more of Daniel's work in the future.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this in a "best of 2018" list and while there's some interesting stuff here, it's ultimately rather dull. An older married couple agree to undergo an experimental procedure that is supposed to create younger, more perfect clone versions of themselves, but which goes horribly wrong, resulting in blobby, potato-looking giant fetuses. Eventually, these new selves do develop expanded mental and physical capabilities, but it seems like there's some sort of inextricable connection between the clones and the originals. Move them too far apart, and both begin to experience severe headaches, disorientation, etc. The premise is interesting and I liked the artwork, but it doesn't really add up to much in the end, unfortunately. It isn't always clear what's happening or even what's going on. A very ambitious and personal story that might resonate more with you than it did me.

[Ed Erwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good sci-fi / horror story about cloning gone horribly wrong.

A scientist creates a method to upgrade your body into the most perfect version of you. He mainly is trying to help his sister who was born with only half a head and no nose. (Reminiscent of the film "Eyes without a face".)

The first humans to get to try the procedure are not the sister, but an elderly married couple of investors who gave the most money. Instead of becoming beautiful new people, they wake up in pain, looking like a cross between tadpoles and potatoes. But at least their intelligence was improved. The main problem is, what do you do with the original people, who are still alive? What do you do with the tadpoles? Do you kill them and try again?

This comic originally started as an interactive application for iPad, with animation and sound. Published now as a book. The cover art, which I find ugly, is a completely different style from the art in the book, so don't let that influence you. Totally worth reading, and I plan to try the "app" as well.

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Hannah Garden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whaaaaat the fuuuuuuuck everybody please read this now you will lose your MIND.

[Jose Brox · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 estrellas.

Pros:
* El dibujo es efectivo y causa el desasosiego que busca, ayudado por la elección de colores.
* Se estudian temas filosóficamente complejos, como la identidad, la ética médica, la memoria, la estética, el derecho de los seres superiores sobre los inferiores...
* A pesar de ser una obra de ciencia ficción, los personajes están muy cuidados. Tienen personalidad propia e interactúan entre si como verdaderos seres humanos con sus peculiaridades.
* La narración es no lineal y abunda en detalles no esenciales que enriquecen la historia haciéndola más verosimil.

Contras:
* Algunos pasajes son confusos. Ciertas aclaraciones, fundamentales para el desarrollo de la historia, quedan inintencionadamente ambiguas (SPOILERS:) ¿Cuál ha sido el problema real? ¿Y qué pasó exactamente con los perros?
* La fuerza principal tras las motivaciones de los actores protagonistas es el egoísmo. Demasiadas acciones egoístas seguidas para justificar las tramas.
* La parte científica pretende ser hard pero no se sostiene (SPOILERS): no hay forma de "pasar una persona de un cuerpo a otro" más que haciendo un transplante cerebral (o invocando el alma, concepto anticientífico), por lo que el problema principal de la novela no existiría. Peor aún es la supuesta conexión "mental" entre las copias y su supuesta explicación. ¿Es que el autor no sabe que existen los gemelos idénticos?
* Desaprovecha la oportunidad de plantear debates filosóficos aún más interesantes (SPOILERS): el autor nos deja claro en todo momento que los Nonnars originales son los viejos pero, ¿y si hubieran sido realmente transferidos a los clones, y lo que queda de los viejos no es más que una carcasa residual? Se apunta a esta hipótesis sólo como herramienta de manipulación de los viejos, pero no es tomada en serio en ningún momento. En toda honestidad, los clones no pueden saber ni aceptar que ellos no son los originales, y tampoco los viejos.

En resumen: una buena obra de ciencia ficción, carente de los fallos habituales en el desarrollo de los personajes y con cierta complejidad de ideas, pero con fallos científicos y falta de exploración de conceptos más profundos. Da qué pensar, pero se queda a las puertas de ser obra maestra.

Parece ser que van a rodar una película basada en el cómic, si mejoran algunos detalles crearán un clásico.

[Hilary "Fox" · Rating 4 out of 5]

Upgrade Soul is one of the comics that was rated best of 2018 by a couple of sources. Originally published online, this complete edition of it is well worth reading at least once. The words science fiction masterpiece come to mind, but honestly I think calling it that would be a bit of a disservice to the comic itself. The description has been overused a lot. Instead, I'll say that it is a brilliant comic. It utilizes science fiction in order to question the elements that make us unique, make us human, and to what extent greed dictates what actions we eventually take.

I think this comic is better diving into without knowing what happens. I didn't read any synopsis or reviews prior to jumping in, and I feel a bit better for it. There are twists and turns to the plot, surprises, but more simply... pleasure at the way things unfold. Pieces fit together nicely, until the very end, where everything ends up if not tied nicely off, then at least satisfactorily so. This is a story with no real winners and losers, it questions right and wrong and, in the end, simply allows life to go on.

I saw that this comic may be getting a big screen adaptation. If it does, and I honestly hope it does get adapted in some form, I'll definitely want to see it. Science fiction always benefits from philosophical stories such as this. I think Rod Serling would have enjoyed this story rather a lot, actually.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poised somewhere between science fiction and horror, this is a terrific graphic novel about an interracial elderly couple – Molly, a research scientist, and Hank, who longs to revive his father’s comic book series featuring a black hero, Slane – who offer themselves up as benefactors and guinea pigs for an experimental procedure to upload their memories to physically improved clones. Things go awry, of course, forcing everyone involved to rethink the nature of memory and loss and consider what importance appearance versus disfigurement has. The book is long enough to have the strong story line and characters that would appeal to a fiction reader who’s new to graphic novels. (It only took me so long to get through because I was reading it on my computer screen and kept forgetting to open up the file in ADE.)

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this one. I liked the art and the premise was really interesting. While it was a good story, I don’t think it hit the nail on the head with making you think about the theme of identity like I thought it would and left me a bit disappointed but I may of had high expectations for this. Still enjoyed it and thought it was worth the read!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was pretty amazing and grotesque. It's a fascinating meditation on identity and aging. The art is detailed. The story also had subplots could be their own film. I keep thinking about it.