Down the rabbit hole of science fiction

Since Hugo Gernsback in his Pulp magazines focused on shimmering space action and squeaky prehistoric monsters, the triumph of “scientifiction” could no longer be stopped. The Luxembourger used this term to popularize an entire genre in the USA in his magazine “Amazing Stories” in 1926, which has still lost none of its magical appeal today.

When a comic like “Hexagon Bridge” by New Yorker Richard Blake not only conjures up the future, but also breathes the flair of classic science fiction, joy is the order of the day. The author and illustrator presents his debut here (the German edition is published by Cross Cult) and tells the story of the world in the year 4040: The heart of the story is the search of the young Adley for her parents Jacob and Elena, who have disappeared in a virtual parallel world. The extremely vivid graphic novel contrasts the comfort of old rooms with futuristic worlds. Surrounded by mountains and forests, Adley prepared for her virtual journey. Robot Staden is basically their medium. The “unexplored dimensional areas” that Adley and Staden travel are generated by artificial intelligence. But Staden is “the most sophisticated entity (…) capable of traveling through unstable tectonic spaces.”

Heartfelt and straightforward

Blake is not creating an original work here: the high-rise buildings made up of individual parts are reminiscent of the imagery of the Christopher Nolan film “Inception”, but at the same time the work breathes the spirit of Arthur C. Clarke or Isaac Asimov. But all the parallel worlds and dystopian scenarios à la “I, Robot” lead you down a rabbit hole that has a few surprises in store. “Hexagon Bridge” is a beautiful, heartfelt and straightforward science fiction story.

Richard Blake. Hexagonal bridge. Cross Cult, 160, 25.50 euros.

© Cross Cult/Blake