Simulation Theory #1

Simulation Theory #1

by Curt Pires, Fernando García Rosales (Cover Art), Darryl Knickrehm (Artist)

The near future. Resources are scarce. Inflation is rampant. Environmental catastrophe is looming. The good news is there's a way The Verse. A one to one digital simulation of reality.

Liquidate all your assets and transfer your consciousness into the metaverse. You can live in a virtual world, with a virtual mansion, with infinite virtual money, and you can live that way for as long as you'd like. Inside the simulation there is no harm, no violence, no problems. And, just to sweeten the The Corporation will keep your body on ice, in cryo storage for ten years, just in case you change your mind.

Ash, our protagonist, is one of the last holdouts, but when she's nearly killed in the "real world" over a gambling debt, she takes up an offer from an old friend who works for the corporation, and transfers into the simulation.

At first Ash likes the new world she's living in, but the more and more time she spends there, the more he begins to feel like something is seriously wrong with the verse. It isn't long before she stumbles onto a vast and sprawling conspiracy, and finds herself in the crosshairs of some very dangerous people.
Ready Player One meets Chinatown in this sci fi conspiracy thriller grounded in the prescient questions of modern society.

Part of the Comixology Originals line of exclusive digital content only available on Comixology and Kindle. Read for free as part of your subscription to Comixology Unlimited, Kindle Unlimited or Amazon Prime. Also available for purchase via Comixology, Kindle and in print via Dark Horse Books.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction

37 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 18, 2023

Reviews

[blessing ♡。 · Rating 3 out of 5]

pretty good intro cant wait for the rest!

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enter nu-life. Ready to leave the real world behind? Live in a simulation where anything--everything--you ever wanted could be yours? You could do it. If you could afford it. The rules were simple...

I have been mightily impressed by comiXology and their run of exclusive series with Scott Snyder. I have enjoyed Clear (Comixology Originals) #1, Night of the Ghoul (comiXology Originals) #1, Canary (Comixology Originals) #1, and We Have Demons (comiXology Originals) #1 and I am currently reading more.

However, I felt I should branch out and try something different. This caught my eye as it is right on topic for me with simulation being an area of interest. The premise seems simple enough, a dystopian future where the rich can escape to the metaverse and the rest have to survive on a broken planet.

When a degenerate gambler is offered a way into nu-life. she thinks her luck has finally changed. However, paradise isn't as good as it seems.

I'm intrigued enough to carry on with this but the style hasn't fully landed with me yet. I'll have to see how it goes in the next issue. 4 stars.

[J.B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not Impressed

Typical set-up, boring first read. They should have done something harder hitting for the first in a series story.like this.

[Rina~]

I tried

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good start

Compelling world, relatable characters. Where will we end up, when computer simulations are as real as life? Highly recommended read.

[Quinn · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 / 5

+
- it's free (...with Amazon Prime)
- it's short - a single chapter (about 35 pages)

-
- the art style is ... not to my tastes.
- The MC gets the shit kicked out of her about 10 pages in. Oof.
- The dialogue feels wooden and forced. For example: the MC sees her best friend (?) / former love interest die (?) in front of her, and all she can do is scream his name before immediately asking, "what the fuck did you just get me into?" I get she's supposed to be a selfish, flawed character, but c'mon.
- The technobabble also gets old, fast. Also: why are buses necessary in the digital world (except to showcase all the wacky virtual shenanigans)?

Conclusion:
Yeah, I don't think I'll be continuing this one even though it's short and free. Woof.

[Stephen Sanchez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to look at

An interesting story concept which is what attacked me to this comic, the whole "simulation theory" is a fun idea to toy around with, the artwork is rough, there are weird poses and facial expressions that are random which is very off putting, its hard to look at and can be distracting, so much that it'll pull you out of the story, but I did however enjoyed the color palette they used, the flat pastels flowed nicely throughout the pages, overall I'm not if I'll continue with this title.

[Johnathan Williams]

A New Existence

Pay the price and you can have anything you desire. The Meta seems to be as perfect as you can afford to make it.

It's expensive, but offers a reality that appears vastly better than the paradise lost that the meatverse offers.

Enter the protagonist: A down on her luck gambling addict offered a second chance at a perfect life, but ends up drawn into a conflict that she never imagined.

[thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicely done

As a fan of science fiction. As a fan of snow crash and the ready player one books, I've found enjoyment in this first book not only for the way it gives life without words to keep you interested with colorful and thoughtful scenes, but also keeps the conversation and POV short and sweet.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Big concept

There's a lot of promise here but so far the plot seems thin. It's probably partly the way this medium works.
Some of the artwork is nice but the figures seem to occupy impossible poses and look unbalanced a lot of the time. The faces are good and characterful, though, most of the time.
A good enough start that I want to see more.

[Wm. Powell]

Intriguing First Issue

I have to admit that I was skeptical of Comixology doing their own comics, but I found the first issue of Simulation Theory to be very enjoyable and I look forward to the next issue.

[Kendall Stark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too fast

I don't like the art style at all. It's too washed out for my taste. It also goes through plot points like a check list. One after another in rapid succession. It needs to take its time more.

[Tee Cee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little thin......

The tale, like the art, is a little weak in its delivery, but it kept me going until the end of the issue and left me wanting more. So perhaps things will pick up in the subsequent issues?

[Brent · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am hooked

This is what Facebook should have invested in before launching the Metaverse. I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

[Fading Junk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked the story, but the art work … kept pulling me away from the story. It was just …. Bad

[DOUGLAS J BERRY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ugly

Good color artwork. A virtual reality that turns hellish. A heroine who spends a lot of time in her underwear?

[Stefu Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

Drawing people is hard.

[Justin Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting introduction

Definitely an interesting premise. A little light on detail and more of a cliffhanger than I would like for a first issue.

[s.j.hannaway · Rating 5 out of 5]

🆒

So far so good, intriguing to say the least ~ It’s a bit WESTWORLD like but more involved & you’re into it virtually straight away !!!?

[tim Skaggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting

Wow this is really cool! I wish I can live in a virtual reality world for the rest of my life 😂😂😂

[kleinerpanda_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sehr langsamer Einstieg in die Reihe, hat mich nicht abgeholt. Das Konzept finde ich aber spannend, also lese ich weiter.

[Simon Mendoza-Agostini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great graphic novel

It starts with a great storyline and follows up with a great mystery worthy of continuation. I can't wait to see what happens.

[Aurelie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's sort of an interesting premise but, to be honest, I really despise the art style.

[Rio · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.75 stars.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too early to tell if this is gong to be good.

I started reading Simulation Theory #2, but it's not on Goodreads, so this is also a placeholder for other issues.

[Jeff Mayo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good start to the series. It hits the plot points. Solid artwork. It feels influenced by the movies "Total Recall," "Inception," and "The Matrix," the TV series "The Twilight Zone," and the Gail Simone comic book series "Clean Room."