Superstate

by Graham Coxon, Alex Pakanadel, Hellen Mullane

The Superstate is everywhere, and it's authority is absolute.

Yoga Town is a city divided. While they wait to leave the earth, the 1% can bend reality to their will, they live in a consequence free world where anything goes. Meanwhile, the masses are pacified by a drugged out, government mandated digital dreamscape while they wait to perish on this dying planet. But there is still hope, for angels roam the earth. With their help, maybe some rebellious spirits can start to make a change.

Experience 15 surreal and disturbing tales of rebellious fembots, celebrity turkey shoots, violent astral projection and an all-new take on the TV dinner.

Genres: Comics, Science Fiction

262 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[Baula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I think I get to be the first one to review this here. I really like all of Graham's music, whether it's Blur, soundtrack, or solo stuff, so after reading about how interesting the concept of this was, getting it was a no brainer for me. I'd listened to the music beforehand, so I was curious to see how it would connect to the graphic novel. The world it takes place in is no doubt pretty bleak, but a lot of the stories ended up hopeful in their own ways. I haven't read a graphic novel in a while so I forgot that they can be kind of ambiguous because you have to interpret the art and choose what you want to focus on. I really enjoyed the changing art styles and how the stories were standalone but were very clearly connected by the universe they took place in (a universe that sadly keeps looking more and more like our own). I also loved how a majority of the radical and compelling characters who stopped to consider what was wrong and wanted to create change were female. It's nice to have some powerful female characters who aren't just sidekicks to a male main character. I understand that this graphic novel as a whole was probably a commentary on modern life, and it would be hard not to make the connections there as we move more and more towards it. The whole project with the stories, art, and music was beautifully and thoughtfully put together and also demanded some thinking of my own. I will probably be finding myself flipping through this often.