Eric Garcia

Drew Moss

Ben Fischer helped build the world's greatest surveillance system, Golden Shield, which utilizes every camera, cell phone, and computer in San Francisco to battle crime. There is only one problem: Golden Shield can't work without a human mind to operate it, resulting in a controversial melding of man and machine. Writer Eric Garcia delivers an action-packed story that questions the roles of security and technology in our modern society.

The Mind in the Machine

City: the Mind in the Machine Volume 1

Jessica Nottingham

The concept of City: Mind in the Machine is one that's been done before, but still continues to fascinate me. When can we say that technology has gone to far? Where do we draw the line between advancement and privacy? This graphic novel toes that line, and it did a pretty fair job of it. The idea of using terrorism as an excuse for spying on the general public? Well, let's just say that hits a bit close to home.
 
Starting with illustrations, they reminded me slightly of an anime. Just without the overly large eyes and over the top facial expressions. It made for a read that pulled me along, from brightly colored panel to brightly colored panel. I think my favorite part of the illustrations was seeing through the eyes of our main character. Once he became a part of the machine, looking through his eyes was like seeing through a computer screen. Random facts, the ability to zoom in, it was absolutely fascinating.
 
Story wise, I hovered between loving this and just following along. On the one hand, the idea of creating a surveillance system linked to a human mind is amazing. It takes into account the fact that humans have a natural ability to reason and prioritize. It also explores what happens when one person is given too much power. On the other hand, this first part of the story just didn't quite capture me as much as I was hoping for. I felt like there should have been more forward movement, more action. The ending made me hopeful though, so I'll keep reading on.
 
Overall? I'd say City: Mind in the Machine starts off this series strongly enough. Although I wasn't completely sold, it intrigued me enough to keep me wanting to read more.

City: the Mind in the Machine Volume 1 The Mind in the Machine

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