Despite the good reviews on Goodreads, I was a bit wary of this graphic novel’s premise. Lonely man gets fembot for birthday could go in many directions, not all of them pleasant. But the first volume managed to win me over by exploring the murky morals of using a humanoid robot for any number of uses. The story starts slowly by examining Alex’s depressing, monotonous life, but things pick up when he’s gifted an android. Unfortunately the android’s presence only enhances Alex’s level of depression because she has no opinions, feelings, or interests. She doesn’t even eat unless Alex tells her to. The whole situation is beyond creepy and Alex starts searching around for some remedy. His search leads him to some secretive people and he ends up in strange places doing things he never thought he’d do. I don’t want to say much more for fear of giving the whole story away.
If you like graphic novels and haven’t read this one, you should definitely give it a try. The story and characters get more complex and interesting as the plot thickens. Somebody might not be drawn to this specifically because of the artwork, but it’s pretty great as a vessel to tell the story. I’ve already picked up the second volume and can’t wait to see how the themes and story develop.