Publisher Image, April 2011 $2.99
Writer/artist NATE SIMPSON
Caution: Though there aren’t really any major plot points for me to reveal in this review (this issue is mostly setup) I do begin the discussion by dissecting a scene which appears at the very end of the book. If you have not read Nonplayer #1 yet I recommend you do before reading this. The appeal of the book relies heavily on the punch of this last scene.
MMO gamers, here’s a book for you. It’s in the title. Sometime in the future in a grungy city (Los Angeles?) lives a young woman in a dead-end taco delivery job. To get through her crappy day at her crappy job she activates a LifeSkin, a technology which somehow alters one’s perception of reality. Skycrapers become mountains. A cement roadway becomes a cobblestone path. Scavenging seagulls become lilting pixies. In the evening when Dana isn’t working she is a warrior in a land populated by giant animals and brimming with political intrigue. In order to access all these wondrous environments Dana plugs into what is a thinly-veiled analogy for World of Warcraft. But in the future you don’t sit at your PC to play the game. You hard-wire your brain’s synapses to it and virtually inhabit the game world. Additionally, in the future you don’t meet up with your gaming buddies on Skype. You plug into yet another server and han gout there. In these artificial environments you can be wealthy and live in an ornate Art Nouveau style mansion decorated with flying whales and dinosaur statues. The world is yours to make. Until you shut down and wake up to your unkempt bedroom in your mom’s house.
The concept and themes of Nonplayer are not new. The Surrogates comes to mind and to a lesser degree in film, Existenz, The Matrix and Lawnmower Man. What sets Nonplayer apart however is it’s casualness. It treats the idea of escapism, virtual reality and alter ego in a very non-celebratory way. It’s this matter-of-fact tone which drives the point home most effectively because it reflects the latest generation’s ubiquitous and everyday link to technology and new media. Now, I’ll do you the favor of not getting too cerebral about this and just mention that I fell into this book very naturally. The questions it raises are not so glaring as to distract the reader from the very relateable story of a young girl coming to terms with a mediocre life. Perhaps not mediocre for long. While in the game world proper, Dana and her friend – with unclear motivations – attempt to assassinate “The Queen” who vanishes and presumably escapes with her life. This may seem like a glitch but when compared to a very dramatic reaction from an NPC named Jarvath one is left feeling something is amiss.
Nonplayer has had a lot of heat and hype associated with it. Mostly due to Nate Simpson’s flat out stunning illustrations! This book is indeed is exquisite – I would describe the style as similar to Geoff Darrow if he drew a little bit like Hergé while listening to harp music. Simpson’s line is clean and elegant. The settings are grandiose and detailed. The character, costume and set designs are convincing and attractive. The action is exhilarating – despite some hiccups in a double page spread composition. The colors are applied thoughtfully and chosen from an unexpected autumn palette, – sometimes pastel sometimes earthy then smoothly transitioning to a light spring palette at the end. I get the impression the story could be about vomit and crib death and it would still win me over with it’s visuals.
My assessment is that Nonplayer promises to be broader than its somewhat common premise. I recommend this book. If you don’t like the story, just look at the beautiful pictures.
Script 7/10 – Art 9.5/10
Parent friendly meter: Orange to Red 
