About:
Warning:
There will be spoilers for the first volume of Electric Bones.
Content Warning: There may be references to job loss, strained familial relationships, sex work, mentions of cancer, prejudice, gossiping, ageism, plagiarism, violence, false identities, genetic modification, kidnapping, murder, gambling, blackmail, and memory loss, as these things do appear in the first volume.
First Impression:
I've been reading a lot of science fiction titles recently, which has been a nice change of pace, and this is one of them. I've never read anything by the duo Hazel and Bell, so I was really excited to give this a shot, and I was not disappointed. The writing and pacing are the stars of the show in this title. We are thrown right into the action with very little fluff or info-dumping, which keeps the pacing high, but we're piecemealed enough information to avoid getting lost or confused. The writing in this is top-notch and has me excited for future releases.
One of the best parts of this is the banter. Ezra and Lucian hate each other, so their banter is really witty and snappy, which establishes how prideful and simultaneously self-conscious the two are. We do get some exposition, but most of the character-building and world-building is established through the dialogue and the interactions between the characters, which keeps that pace going. I fell in love with Ezra immediately just because of how smart and refined he appears to be; meanwhile, while Lucian is probably equally as brilliant, he comes off as much more arrogant and self-conscious, and all of that comes through perfectly through the dialogue, which I really enjoy.
This also does a great job of emphasizing how closely related hate can be to lust. Lucian despises Ezra, seemingly because he's simply a grey robot (independent robots with free will), but also because of how much he sees himself in them. Lucian is a child of a wealthy and influential family and, as such, comes with immense pressure to represent said family. He often uses fake names and aliases not only to protect himself from those who seek to harm or use his family but also to try and separate himself from his family, particularly his mother, who sees him as a tool. This view of himself is not unlike how those who hate grey robots see them: as sentient tools. Yet, it's in that hate that he longs to have Ezra. He hates Ezra because of their similarities, but it's in their likeness that he is drawn to Ezra, creating this intense sexual and violent tension that saturates the volume. It's awesome, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it resolves.
The overall mood is very dark, mysterious, and sexy, which I think the coloring and background design emphasize really well. Ezra, our robot, also really embodies this mood in his design, and he is the most consistent of our main characters. Lucian, however, is a bit more inconsistent. I love his design. He sometimes looks like Steve Jobs. Other times, he looks like Playboy and others, he is decked out in a classic patterned collared shirt like a quirky dad would wear. This really highlights the dichotomy he struggles with within himself. He has the privilege of his family, which he finds himself wanting to exploit while also wanting to get away from. He lives with fake identities and stories to protect himself, so his identity isn't the clearest as it is. Plus, we also have to go back to the contradiction of hating Ezra while also lusting after him. Lucian is very much lost within himself and who he truly is, which is embodied in his design, and I love that. The style itself isn't the most consistent ever, with face and head shapes changing pretty frequently, but the use of design and the meaning behind it overpowers any nitpickiness I'd have over the art.
Results:
This is a killer beginning to a story. I am so excited to read more, and I am so ready for the next Act. While I bought and read the physical version, this is free online. I encourage you to purchase the physical copy because it is just so stunning and comes with extras that are not available online, but if you want to try before you buy, you can. I really love the storytelling in this, and the atmosphere of the art is incredible. I love all of the sci-fi BL I've been able to read, and this is definitely one of the best thus far. I can't wait to check out the future releases from this series.
Have you read Electric Bones – Act 1? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!