Gone #1 Review: Amazing Story

Loneliness is something many humans are afraid of while others embrace the idea of being alone. It’s an experience that will drive some people mad. Simon Birks, along with artist Tom Eddy, decided it would be a great idea to write a comic about a robot that’s alone called “Gone.”

In the far future, an assist robot finds that the crew of his ship has mysteriously disappeared. He spends his time wondering about the ship seeking out any signs of life as well as getting caught up in his own thoughts.

The writing of this comic is more akin to early 20th-century Modernist writing where stream of consciousness reigned supreme. If done properly, the reader will not only be in the head of the character but understand his feelings. Birks manages to take the reader into the mind of the robot, as well as make us feel everything he’s feeling. It’s a bit more straightforward than a traditional stream of conscious writing (James Joyce being an extreme example of this) but it still feels like someone’s thoughts and not just a writer writing a story.

On the other hand, the art looks like it belongs on a daily webcomic than a comic book. It’s not terrible; in fact, the simplistic design actually works in favor of the comic. The only real problem is that it isn’t up to snuff with many other comics out nowadays. Also, the story shown in the art doesn’t have as great of an impact as the writing. This seems to work better as a short story than a comic.

“Gone” has a great story with a lot of emotion and gets the reader into the mind and emotional state of the character. Sadly, while the art may fit well with the story, the story itself just doesn’t work that well as a comic. It’s still worth reading just for the writing.