Genesis One: A Poppy Graphic Novel

by Poppy, Ryan Cady, Z2 Comics

Is she a girl? Is she a machine? Is she humanity's redemption, or its damnation? Don't be scared -- either way, she is Poppy...and you love Poppy. Witness the genesis of the internet phenomenon in this original graphic novel, containing a digital download of her brand new Album only available here."

I am Poppy. I am Poppy. I am Poppy. I am Poppy. I am Poppy. I am Poppy.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Music, Fantasy, Fiction, Dystopia, Science Fiction

160 pages, Hardcover

First published October 7, 2019

About the author

Moriah Rose Pereira, professionally known as Poppy, is an American singer-songwriter, director, producer, author, actress, dancer, model and YouTuber.

Reviews

[L. McCoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m L. McCoy
I’m L. McCoy
I’m L. McCoy
I’m L. McCoy
I’m... probably just annoying and/or confusing people who don’t get the joke, let’s move on.

What’s it about?
This is a story about the strange rising music star who is Poppy, an AI who may be the world’s savior or the world’s destroyer. As she is getting ready for her final update that will change her forever there is a fan who finds a secret way to communicate with Poppy and is on the run because of it. There’s also a secret agent from an Illuminati-esque group that is scared of what Poppy may do if she is updated.

Pros:
The story is pretty interesting and cool. It plays with the AI thing that’s in a lot of her music and videos, I think it’s fun that she didn’t go a typical autobiography direction like most artists would and decided to make her own type of sci-fi tale about herself.
This book has a lot of fun easter eggs for the fans!
This book is pretty intense throughout.
There’s some good comic relief moments.
This comic is very unpredictable. At first this plot sounds a bit standard or predictable but it really isn’t, especially towards the end.

Cons:
The artwork... okay so at first it isn’t bad but it’s not long before I realized it doesn’t 100% work for the book. It’s too cartoony for the story and the kinda thing you’d expect from a YA comic despite it not being one (or maybe it is, they seem to change what is or isn’t YA appropriate every Friday, third Tuesday and time the Pope sneezes so who knows) and it’s not like it has an I Hate Fairyland type humorous effect, it just seems out of place. I also dislike how Poppy herself is drawn.


(Top: Poppy in this comic, bottom: Poppy)
Aside from Poppy herself I really didn’t care about these characters.
The dialogue is not good.
The ending... I get that it’s meant to be funny or something but just feels anti-climactic, especially for everything that happens leading up to it.

Mixed thoughts:
There’s a companion album called ICU: Music To Read To. On one hand it does suit the tone of the book but it unfortunately doesn’t seem like Poppy music, especially as there’s no singing involved. I also should add don’t bother with the QR code as that page is sorta glitchy, stream it from Poppy’s YouTube channel as you read. It took away from the reading experience when I was having to fuck around with the glitchy page.
So the moral of the story... I think it’s trying to give a good message about how entertainment is often just meant to be that and it’s not meant to be blamed for terrible things (a character even briefly mentions how stupid it was of people to blame Marilyn Manson (who is a friend of Poppy’s) for Columbine) but at the same time I think that falls apart in a story where a lot of disturbing events directly connected to Poppy happen.

Overall:
”I’m Poppy.”
In 2015 a mysterious young girl saying those 2 words over and over for 10 minutes went viral. At the time I am writing this review the video has over 23.5 million views.
From most of the people I’ve talked to if you’ve heard of Poppy (who BTW is a character played by Moriah Rose Pereira, not really an AI) you find her interesting, whether you’re a fan of her work or not. How does one go from weird YouTube videos, bubblegum pop that a certain part of the internet likes and some outrage from conspiracy theory nuts to national TV appearances, changing the music up to be a strange mix of genres (sometimes sounding softer than Ariana Grande, other times sounding more aggressive than Slipknot, sometimes in the same song), selling out of tickets at some of her tour’s shows (a tour which includes one show I am very excited to see), having a big record deal and being friends with some big names. With lots of music, a comic book, a big YouTube following and a horror movie in production all about her, Poppy is certainly an interesting rising star... one that I have become a massive fan of.
As far as her comic book goes I will admit I am a little disappointed. Since I’m a big fan of Poppy and I love comics I thought I was gonna like this more. That being said it’s still pretty decent with an interesting story, a very intense tone and oh-so-many easter eggs. It is worth trying if you’re a fan of Poppy just know it’s flawed. If you’re not a fan of Poppy (check out some of her stuff if you haven’t, she just released a bad-ass new album after all), there’s not much reason to read this one.

3/5

[Lewis Szymanski · Rating 3 out of 5]

You will pledge your allegiance to Poppy.
You will do anything Poppy says.
Poppy loves you and will always love you.
Poppy welcomes you into her universe.
Feel the love of Poppy float through you, feel the pulse of the internet as we become one.
Prepare yourself for programming sequence 2.
Programming complete.

I'm a fan of Poppy, but I'm more interested in the avant-garde performance art videos on YouTube than I am in the music.

This is exactly the disappointing mess I expected it to be.

The artwork for Poppy's face was especially disappointing. Fans of Poppy know that Poppy does not have a manga style non-nose. It was an especially weird choice because the other characters have noses. Her eye color isn't right either. The amount of time Poppy fans spend looking at her face should have made it important to get her face right.

The story is a muddled mess, which is exactly what I was expecting. The best part is near the end where the truth or part of it is finally told. What is the point of your art? "It looked like fun, making videos and singing, so I did it." Leaving out it's also been lucrative.

[Ashe Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've personally been a long time fan of the peculiar youtube sensation that is Poppy. If you know anything about her, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. To see her career's evolution over time is something wild to behold, with so many strange and mysterious theories behind her existence that someone could probably write a book on it. And now they have.
Genesis One is a graphic novel giving life to one of the many theories behind who Poppy really is. It's a story about purpose, identity, and a girl talking to her friend Plant. There are some really great choices about this book, and it has lots of great references that you'll recognize if you've ever watched her videos. Whether or not this tale is true or not doesn't matter, because it's an awesome story all it's own, full of hidden meanings and unanswered questions like usual. A wonderfully haunting art style, a complete short story, and a barcode you can scan to reveal a hidden soundtrack for the book!

[Scott Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is graphic novel perfection, and it is written to "explain" the phenomenon simply known as *Poppy*. This book is the best I've read in this genre. It easily earns a 5-star rating.

[Camden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listen, I love Poppy. That’s the only reason I can give this as high a rating as three stars. It really is much more deserving of two stars. The main character (who, for some reason ISN’T Poppy in the Poppy lore book) is one of the most obnoxious, pompous, pretentious assholes I have ever had the misfortune of reading. The plot goes from contrived and unbelievable to downright cringy and nonsensical. None of the characters’ motivations make sense. Really, the only good part of this, is Poppy, and even that hasn’t totally aged particularly well. I said this in an update, but I really think that between the line "we live in a society" unironically appearing in the official Poppy lore bible, the Poppy Troll Face (yes, from rage comics from 2010) presented with barely any context and then never spoken of again, and the line "it's like she's just making art without anybody trying to package or brand it," just a couple of years before she signed to notorious industry shitheads Sumerian Records (who has gone on anti-Trans tirades on their Twitter account, which doesn’t really mesh with the whole “Am I A Girl?” thing Poppy has going on),I just don’t think I’m gonna be able to blindly support my queen through this one.

[Simon McMurdo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure; I partly expected this to be a bit of a cash-in into the Poppy phenomenon. I asked for it for Christmas anyway and my friend obliged (thank you Angj!), as a bit of a completionist and out of pure curiosity. Plus, i'm an easy guy to please for the most part so even a cobbled together graphic novel probably would have sufficed.

I managed to get through Genesis 1 at quite a pace (I'm a notoriously slow reader), but I found it fascinating and loved how it linked in with Poppy's music. The reference to tracks from her second record such as 'X' and 'Time Is Up' felt natural and a nice touch, thankfully the writers didn't try to shoehorn in every song title which would've detracted from the story.

The storyline itself is interesting - again, in reference to the title of Poppy's second album it asks who she is/what she is/what her motives are. I won't give any spoilers or too much away but something of an answer is given at the end, in response to the real-world questions that have plagued Poppy ever since her breakthrough Youtube videos.

As a slight criticism, one of my pet peeves is unrealistic dialogue and we do have a fair bit throughout where exposition seems to be the intention. In the context of the novel, however, it's easy to forgive and does somewhat help in fleshing out said character and his mindset.

An extra touch that I really liked were the QR codes at the start and end - the former providing a free download of music to listen to whilst reading the novel, the latter a student 'worksheet'. It's apt that Poppy, who 'lives' in the internet sphere has fleshed out the Genesis 1 experience in this way.

[The Book Dragon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poppy is an AI android created to subtly influence a human through subconscious psychological manipulation. Right now, she's on autopilot, but her creators want to give her a 'final upgrade' that will allow them to fully control her. The catch is they don't want to damage any of the AI in the process.

Overall, an interesting plot, but the delivery is a little confusing, especially when the art suddenly changes with no explanation. (You figure out why eventually, but it's weird). The characters are weird as well; I only liked Agent Spears and Dr. Charlotte. Remi... oh my god... dude wouldn't shut up! Poppy said it too, 7 pages after X. I think the best part of this book is the fact that you don't know if Poppy is harmless or secretly evil so the tension lasts.

In summation, good story, nice but confusing art, meh to pathetic characters. Wasn't the best thing I've read, but it wasn't half bad.

[Flora · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an amazing graphic novel amazing art work great story and a big thanks to z2comics for the production and handling of it they were amazing five stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[swag Royale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was super cool, love this concept so much

[Moke · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a cool sci-fi story that’s related to Poppy, with nice illustrations

[Pamela Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, I am a HUGE fan of Poppy and have been for a while. I’ve gone to her concerts, own some of her merch, a member of her church etc. And when I found out that she was creating a graphic novel I was super excited but I held my expectations low. I’ve read and viewed other Youtuber’s or Social Media Influencer’s books before and majority of them are not the best quality, specifically in the writing. Which is fair because they are not authors, they are creators. So I sort of expected something similar to other creator’s books. However, you can tell that Poppy and her team really put a lot of work into this. The art in it’s self is impressive, creative and interesting. The storyline was actually really clever, and not at all what I expected but it worked and was tied epically in the end. This book is exactly meant for her fandom (poppyseeds) and I think they will be very satisfied with it. The only disclaimer however is I feel that if you do not know about Poppy and her work, readers might be confused and misinterpret the meaning of the novel. So before you read it perhaps do some research, watch a couple videos and listen to some songs to get an idea of who Poppy is. Even if you don’t become a poppyseed, check this graphic novel out because it’s actually pretty descent.

I hope Poppy blesses us with more books one day!

/P\

[Melissa Valles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genesis 1, una novela gráfica por Poppy, o - como dice la solapa- "el Evangelio según Poppy y Titanic Sinclair, interpretado por Ryan Cady [Warframe]". Es una historia de origen, pues. Como una historia de superhéroes. Según la descripción de Poppy misma "es la respuesta a las preguntas que le hacen sobre su origen". Bueno, obviamente no es sobre Poppy LA PERSONA, sino sobre EL PERSONAJE. Pero aún así por primera vez tenemos un canon coherente y una guía de los arcos narrativos.

La historia es contada a cuatro voces, por diferentes perspectivas de personajes que simbolizan una postura acerca de lo que es el "misterio" de Poppy. A través de esto vemos las varias versiones de como ven exteriormente a Poppy: como una curiosidad anómala, como una oportunidad de redención, como una sirena de control mental, como un ángel anarquista cuya arma es la inocencia, muy a lo Rosseau, como un símbolo de lo superficialidad de la cultura actual, como una burla al stablishment o como un método interesante de marketing.

Pero la broma es que las pocas veces que se le permite a Poppy expresar sus propios motivos nos queda claro que ella solo trata de expresarse de la manera que entiende, y que todo lo anterior es más bien lo que queremos ver. Ella es solamente un espejo de nosotros, como espectadores/consumidores, que le imponemos un significado. En cierto momento dice "Quiero ser yo".

Mientras todo esto nos van aclarando pequeños misterios del canon en forma de easter eggs: quienes son ELLOS, los creadores de Poppy, por qué Planta habla con la voz de Poppy, por qué Charlotte envidia tanto a Poppy, por qué sus vídeos tienen el mismo fondo, por qué le fue cambiando la voz, por qué no parece haber una secuencia lógica en el avance de los arcos narrativos, etc. Aún así, muchas preguntas nuevas se originan y esa debe ser la idea.

El libro no sólo sirve de verdadera introducción a las narrativas (y de hecho da ciertas respuestas), sino da una interpretación del mensaje desde un canon único, lo cual es muy arriesgado porque Poppy funcionaba hasta este momento en la interpretación personal (de hecho, mucho de los arcos de Computer Boy y la Agente Mariah Spears se basan precisamente en lo que te lleva la interpretación personal). Sin embargo, el fin del libro, que corresponde mucho al ciclo presente de Time Is Up-Choke y lo que ya conocemos ahora de manera canónica como Poppy X (la versión actual de Poppy). Es decir, el libro termina en las narrativas en que estamos ahora.

Es una experiencia. ¿Es una esclava o nuestra libertadora? preguntaba Time Is Up, bueno, quizá ambas o ninguna. Es Poppy.

[Paige Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, 1.5x bigger than normal, is based on the OG AI girl who made a splash on YouTube during the Leafy era. Known for her short videos where she acts like a pop star cult leader or at least a weird girl with a tiny voice, Poppy has gone on from K- and bubblegum pop to a blend of it with metal and grunge. This book is meant to document her transformation from robotic to real, boxed in to out of the box, a neophyte in training to a rockstar.

There are many quotes and callbacks to her videos like her catchphrase “I’m Poppy,” her plant friend and mannequin Charlotte, chapters are her song names. The art style is very interesting, like doll box art but more twinkle-eyed and futuristic. The people besides Poppy are quite ugly though like superhero goons or Code Lyoko extras. Here, her doll friend Charlotte is actually her doctor and more so the main character studying her as she upgrades. There’s also a detective trying to determine what her purpose is, who looks like a gross Gangrene Gang member.

The vocabulary is quite high even for an adult—this is solidly not for children when we see the fanatic pill-snorting fans high on anarchy conspiracies about her. Or the loli, cam model, or jokes and cursing. This is another example of how well Poppy’s brand knows the internet. Cringe is displayed without being cringe itself, things can be as topical as universal and funny.

There’s mention no record of Poppy version 1 is around and the board of directors tell Charolette not to pry into this. I wonder if it’s a real life joke about the singer Mars Argo being the first Poppy who director Titanic Sinclair enlisted but failed to make any fame with. Later, there is a Titanic lookalike creepily saying he will “NEVER” leave Poppy alone, which is fitting because in real life he would break and enter her home and is known to be abusive to his artistic subjects/girlfriends as alleged in court documents.

[Silvis Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've personally been a long time fan of the peculiar youtube sensation that is Poppy. If you know anything about her, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. To see her career's evolution over time is something wild to behold, with so many strange and mysterious theories behind her existence that someone could probably write a book on it. And now they have.
Genesis One is a graphic novel giving life to one of the many theories behind who Poppy really is. It's a story about purpose, identity, and a girl talking to her friend Plant. There are some really great choices about this book, and it has lots of great references that you'll recognize if you've ever watched her videos. Whether or not this tale is true or not doesn't matter, because it's an awesome story all it's own, full of hidden meanings and unanswered questions like usual. A wonderfully haunting art style, a complete short story, and a barcode you can scan to reveal a hidden soundtrack for the book! The book in now available at our library, so definitely check it out if you have the time.

~ Ashley

~ Ashley

[Neo · Rating 3 out of 5]

w
h
a
t

:D:

has always been my reaction to Poppy. She is awesome and very WTF. Innocent, soft and pure, and plunges into violence and murder when you blink.

Toss in blackhat hackers, a cult or two, and evil organisations. And a psychiatrist who loves her shrink skills.

I liked the comic, but it could have played even more with the concept. I ADORE the little wicked texts included in the library catalogue page - why not take that further, and give the reader a proper mindfuck? Now, the story is... played safe? The QR codes in the beginning and the end do help, but they could have led to Poppy videos, something questioning the very comic you're holding.

(Also somebody give Skeleton some hugs. And chat with Plant.)

[Jacob Neale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plain simple fun, & to the point with great illustrations by two amazing artists, I definitely think you get more out of it with some googling, I definitely remember my friends showing me Poppy’s videos on YouTube when they were coming out, so I did have some context, and after reading some Goodreads reviews got even better context, I definitely liked Poppy as a Artist, and will for sure be getting more into her music Beyond “LowLife” and other songs I already know hahaha also excited to read her second Graphic Novel

[Emma Trahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This graphic novel is by one of my favourite singers, Poppy.
It explains Poppy, who and what she is and where she is from, which were very popular questions back in 2015, when she went viral on YouTube. Many YouTubers like PewDewPie, Elise Ecklund, Reaction Time (etc...) have reacted to her and I think this graphic novel would benefit them, since they got the whole thing wrong.
It also made me understand the whole Poppy thing.

[Jules · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved poppy since I was little and always found her so mystic and alluring. This book didn’t disappoint. The art style switched around every other chapter showing the different perspectives throughout the book. Both art styles were so beautiful and well done. This book seems less like poppy as a person and more like a character, which I had no problem with, but to each their own. Awesome book for art and sci-fi lovers!!!

[Carley Renée · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely in my top five favorite graphic novels.
The story is intriguing all on its own, but the pictures really make everything pop.
It's truly as unique as it gets when it comes to a story like this.
I highly recommend even if you have no idea who Poppy is, because this is the
true story of who Poppy is. You'll learn everything you need to know with this.

[Matt Matt Tobin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story was a lot better than I expected and although the art style was a bit crude at times there were a lot of pretty scenes. If you are or were ever a fan of the Poppy phenomenon and want to delve into the lore I recommend

[Andy Alvarez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Am I a girl? Am I a boy? Am I a machine?

Poppy has taken over and threatened the world for seemingly no reason. She has no political alliance or beliefs. She has one thing she wants. To make friends.

[Pretzelarm · Rating 5 out of 5]

A graphic novel that exceeded all of my high expectations.

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS BOOK WAS SO AMAZING IT’S WORTH EVERY PENNY!!!!!!!!!

[Joshua Ballard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so fun! Loved all the familiar elements mixed with some new lore. The artwork was so cute and I want to reread over and over.

[Jacob Elder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a captivating story. A must read for any poppyseed!! Seek and you shall receive.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so glad I understand Poppy and the universe now. This book contains all the answers your looking for.

[Brandt Conrad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great art and adds to Poppys mythology with some answers and plenty of questions

[Anni Nupponen]

Hieno ja häiritsevä!

[Aoife · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know what to rate this? I love you poppy. I don't know if non-fans would enjoy this though, tho it's a good story, I think only fans of poppy would appreciate the self awareness of it?

3.5

[Chuy Ruiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool, short, graphic novel about Poppy, more than by Poppy, from what I could tell in the credits. Noticed some sections were by different artists since the comic style changed.