Review: UNFOLLOW #1

Writer:  Rob Williams
Artist:  Mike Dowling
Colorist:  Quinton Winter
Letters:  Clem Robins
Publisher:  Vertigo Comics

The world’s obsession with social media has never been larger than it is right now.  Society is glued to their smart phones and apps.  UnFollow attempts to look at this phenomenon through a new lens.  What if 140 random users of an app are chosen to inherit the fortune from a dying man?  Some would see this as a blessing.  More opportunistic individuals may see it as a way to eliminate the competition, so they can have a larger slice of the pie.  All this, and more, are in play in UnFollow.

What I Liked

First, let’s start with the first visual you see when you pick up this book.  The front cover has a slick design that makes it look like an Apple mobile device.  Very smart production.

Writer Rob Williams does a good job not bombarding the reader with too many characters.  He keeps the main cast list down to a good 5-7, and that is counting Larry Ferrell, the inventor of the app Chirper and who is giving away his billions.  When we see Ferrell, he has a handler taking care of his business for him since he’s suffering from cancer.  Does this person have Ferrell’s best interest at heart?  It remains to be seen.

Other interesting people we meet are David, who seems to be the most “pure” of the cast so far; a thrill-seeking, pill-popping heiress named Courtney; a woman named Ravan Salehi, who is tired of documenting the worst in humanity; and a gun-totting nut who speaks to God.

Mike Dowling has a unique art style that is more grounded in realism, which fits the tone of the series.  I get a Frank Quitely vibe from Dowling’s work, which is a compliment.

I half-expected not to be introduced to the man pulling the strings behind this race to the money.  However, we do get a few panels of Ferrell laying out the rules to the game to David.  This helps the reader fully understand what is going on.

What I Didn’t Like

While I liked visually seeing Ferrell in the first issue, he would have come across as a more sinister person if he stayed cloaked in shadows.  At least in the beginning.  It could be that Ferrell doesn’t have ulterior motives after-all, so he shouldn’t stay a mystery.

Timdogg

#ComicBookChronicles @CBChron founder. Editor-in-Chief of @thekliqnation. Comic book reviewer, podcaster #RABBLERABBLE