How vital are non-traditional humans to the human experience? Just ask the countless roster of robots, clones, androids, and other anthropomorphic machineries in the world of comic books: Vision, Machine Man, Red Tornado, Carl Seltz, Gally, Mr. Pendulum, the Metal Man, the original Human Torch. In Tsutomu Nihei’s BIOMEGA, being human is a liability, even, seeing as it suscepts you to the N5S virus and turns you into a zombie. The protagonists are actually synthetic beings grown in a laboratory.

Although Zoichi could certainly hold his own among the best of not-quite-human comic book characters, he is not a vehicle for morality statements or even smaller observations about human personality. He’s talented with a myriad of weapons, which is what counts. In spite of its Japanese origin, there is something very European about BIOMEGA, something very Heavy Metal in that it’s mainly about science fiction tropes and not so much about what makes its characters tick.

Personality breakdowns can be saved for later. This is more similar to futuristic visions out of the late 70s and early 80s, in which scope is everything and the fictional world is built up extensively enough to allow you to see for miles. There are gorgeous black and white spreads similar to the days of animation background painting, when comics were all about world-building and we didn’t know our characters well enough to try to deconstruct them yet. The world is the character. The people (and synythetic people) are secondary players to a larger construct.

Though divided into “chapters”, BIOMEGA is the opposite of episodic, and it would do you well to read it all in one sitting. It has the cosmic arc of a Terry Gilliam film—and a little bit of the absurdity, too, provided mostly by a Russian bear named Kozlov who, despite assumptions, is not a man in a bear suit. (“IT’S NOT A SUIT!” he yells angrily, before blowing away a patrolman with a rifle. Classic.)

The best way to experience this comic is through the lens of a larger-than-life science fiction experience like Blade Runner or Brazil, to sit back and soak up the scenery like you would for Kubrick or Moebius. There is very little posturing or microcosmic revelation. The dialogue is sparse, the backstory even more so. In between the massive explosions, most of BIOMEGA’s power lies in implication… and, occasionally, the inevitable glee of witnessing an android perform totally badass stunts on a motorcycle.

Remember, when you buy a book listed in a MANGA DOESN’T SUCK blog, you get 10% off your purchase!  Good taste rewards everyone.

Previously…
Kaori Yuki’s GODCHILD
Junji Ito’s UZUMAKI
Shiro Miwa’s DOGS

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