The Seeds Review: Gloom and Doom

Stories of science fiction often reflect the society we live in. Works such as 1984, Elysium and Godzilla provided social commentaries on the horror of totalitarianism, economic inequality and the dangers of nuclear weapons.

Ann Nocenti and David Aja’s “The Seeds” is no different as it takes on topics such as clickbait news, environmental issues and the separation of people due to walls. The Seeds tells a story of suspense, mystery and drama that will have you turn each page with eagerness and dread with its slow, noir-like storytelling, stark artwork and philosophical dialogue.

After an anti-technological revolution occurred, society was split into two, Zone A is similar to our society while Zone B is a land of no electricity and laws. Astra, a photojournalist who wants to leave her mark in history by writing a big story, discover one. However, it’s more dangerous than whatever she anticipated for, as not only could it bring her unwanted attention, but could change the fate of the world forever.

Nocenti and Aja set the cynical tone of the plot in the first chapter as Astra is out for story on the wall that separates Zone A from Zone B. As she interviews people, they speak on how their family members abandoned them to get to Zone B and as the story progress; we see the ruined state of the world. Media outlets no longer publish articles that are important to the public, rather stories that get the most attention, regardless if it’s true or not, Earth, along with human race, is dying and people don’t seem to care about anything. The Seeds’ world-building of apathy attracts its readers as they wonder, “How did it get this bad?”

To present a story that is gloomy and somber, its artwork needs to be in the same frequency as its writing and the artistry on The Seeds is done perfectly well. Presented in black and white, with shadows and shades all over, Aja’s artwork is dark and dismal as characters are drawn in realistic proportions in a colorless environment to emphasize the bleak society The Seeds is set on.

With such a cynical and depressing story, it’s the characters’ progressions through the plot that captures your attention and let you continue. The Seeds issue #1 is sure to plant an interest in you as you are curious in Astra’s quest to find the truth or want to learn why the world is the way it is.