Every so often I get some webcomics suggested to me by some of our readers and a real gem pops out. This week we take a look at a possible grim future in Hyperbolic Dystopia which was created and suggested by Barry J. Gardner. This webcomic is brand new to me and a delightful surprise!
From the very first page the reader is faced with the realization that the world in Hyperbolic Dystopia is not ideal and in fact quite sinister. The comically short antagonist Tod is the tyrannical ruler of Jura but he’s not just happy being the unopposed ruler. The narration starts with a demonstration of prototype mind control chips that appear to give complete control over a person but falls short at the mention of self-harm. Tod’s dissatisfaction with the results and the mixed reactions do a great job of showing that his rule is established by any means necessary but it is not liked by everyone. In the first chapter we see this futuristic world is similar to ours but there are some high tech advances like flying vehicles used for public transportation and the Angry Frog mechs that are utilized by the police force called the Watcher’s Brigade. These lackeys are equipped with technologically advanced suits that help them keep the masses in check. They may have their work cut out for them as the young idealist Winston Coppersmith makes a very public display of his outrage with his hammer. This causes some mixed emotions among the people as some see hope while others see it interfering with their own personal plans.
This comic may be pretty new but it shows enough to let the reader know that they have a visually pleasing ride ahead of themselves. Barry’s art shows a nice stylized look of it’s subjects with a good amount of detail for the outfits and the mechanical objects on the pages. The use of propaganda flyers and word definitions inserted into the story do an excellent job of informing the reader about the world and it’s history so the creator is not forced to create lengthy exposition in the dialogue. The characters do verbally let us know about how things got to where they are but they are free to briefly mention them instead of getting too wordy. Overall it is a well paced and engaging story. I found myself feeling for the plights of the characters and cheering for Winston. There are some story elements that are not suitable for younger readers and the narration is set more for older audiences to appreciate.
Q&A with Barry
The future looks quite dim. What inspired the creation of the maniacal yet short-statured dictator Tod?
(Barry) The concept I originally had for Hyperbolic Dystopia was basically this: What if Douglas Adams, the brilliant mind responsible for “Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy,” had written George Orwell’s 1984? And because the foundation of this story starts with 1984, wouldn’t it be ironic if Big Brother wasn’t so big? I also drew inspiration from Kim Jong Ill, who has to be one of the funniest dictators we’ve had in recent history.
It’s something you don’t really see very often in storytelling. Most villains tend to look a certain way, especially in comics. So it creates a very interesting challenge. Here you have someone that has tremendous power that happens to be a little person. How the heck did he rise to power? That’s a question that will eventually be answered as the story progresses, but a big hint is given on the first page of chapter one with a quote from the great historian Will Durant: “It may be true that you can’t fool all the people all the time, but you can fool enough of them to rule a large country.”
Finally, I think it’s actually a very modern thing. Thousands of years ago, a person who took power was usually from the military. Then the person who took power came from the senate like in Rome, and it didn’t really matter how strong they were, only how good their political allies were. Today, I think we have many people with extraordinary power that if we were to see them as they really are, we’d be just as curious as to how such a person came to rule over anything.
How do you feel the mix of futuristic technology like the mechanical Angry Frogs with the buildings and streets looking like current-day cities helps the narration of the story?
(Barry) That’s a great question, and one I’ll admit I struggled with at first. I actually addressed that very question on one of my pages, where I basically say that apart from the flying cars and robots, the future looks an awful lot like the present. But then again, this is taking place after the greatest war the world had ever seen. Despite the great progress that had been made, because of the war, we all took a few steps back. You kind of see this today with third world countries like in the middle-east. Soldiers or terrorists will be walking around with the latest in combat weaponry, but the average guy on the street is still wearing fashions that people have been wearing for hundreds, if not thousands of years. It’s what can happen if a place becomes frozen in time economically, like North Korea, or the former Soviet Union. The government might put all their money and research into military technology, but very little into infrastructure. There’s no thriving businesses, no pop culture, no fashion. So people just sort of stick with what they know works in terms of clothing or architecture.
I don’t know if you’ve seen that new movie, “Elysium.” If I remember right, that movie takes place about 150 years in the future. If you look at a lot of the clothes people wear, they look very modern to our time. Which I thought was a little weird, I mean, Matt Damon is wearing pants that look the same as some of the Levis that I wear. He’s on a planet where technology has moved dangerously forward, but economically, there’s no thriving middle class to drive something like fashion trends, so everything just becomes stagnant.
It is still pretty early in the story but there has been some dramatic action with Winston’s public display of disgust with the current regime. Can you give us some hints about what to expect in the near future?
(Barry) Well, I don’t want to give too much away. Winston is actually named for the main character in 1984, Winston Smith (my guys last name is Coppersmith). So he share’s some things in common with Orwell’s Smith. In 1984, Winston is rebellious against Big Brother, but mostly in secret. Then he gets caught and it’s all downhill from there. Sadly, Winston (spoiler) succumbs to the wishes of Big Brother in the end.
My Winston does not take the same journey that Orwell’s character does. He’s rebellious in a very public and flamboyant manner. But…let’s just say, his motivations are maybe not all just revolution and justice. There’s something very personal in this for him.
Also, Orwell’s story took place primarily between Winston and Julia. My story has that dynamic going for it, but a bigger supporting cast. We’ve met Aldous, a character that will become much more prominent as the story progresses. We’ll also see the people working with Aldous, as they try to figure out how to clean up the mess that Winston just created by starting a revolution in the middle of their plans.
New full color pages of Hyperbolic Dystopia are usually added weekly. So far the story is just beginning it’s second chapter so there are not a log of pages to read yet but I do find the story intriguing and worth a read. You can find some previews, notes about comic production, and other artwork on Barry’s Tumblr blog. If you are in the Salt Lake City, Utah area and wish to find out more about the comic, Barry will be at the Salt Lake City Comic Con during September 5-7 where he will be a guest as well as be a part of some panels about webcomics and indie comics!
Hyperbolic Dystopia may display a grim futurist world but I am optimistic about the progression of this webcomic. The story and the artwork are well done and show a promise of entertaining adventures to come!
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Have a webcomic that you love to read or do you make your own? Please email them to me at webcomic@christinebrunson.com! Your suggestion might show up in a future article.
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