Written by: Ryan Ferrier
Art by: Valentin Ramon
Publisher: IDW
Over the past year or so, sci-fi comedies with a cool premise have taken over the comic book market. Not necessarily in the sense that they’re the only thing coming out (though there are a lot of them), but more in the sense that the quality has been so consistent. Ryan Ferrier and Valentin Rammon’s D4VE is the pinnacle of this particular genre’s achievements. It has all the elements that readers have come to expect out of such books, and elevates them. The story of the sentient robot named D4VE – and, of course, his companions – is a masterfully crafted story. It’s absolutely hilarious, and it’s so self aware that even the stupidest of lines don’t elicit cringes. This type of humor may not be for everybody, but there’s more to D4VE than it just being funny. Ferrier does some legitimately good character work here, that actually carries a substantial amount of weight.
For those who aren’t familiar with the plot, it’s essentially a robot having a mid life crisis. Which, on its own, sounds great. But add to that premise the fact that the titular character, D4VE, used to exterminate entire alien species for a living, and is now trying to settle down into suburbia, and you should be completely sold. For all intents and purposes, D4VE might as well be a human. As is described fairly early on, after humanity is exterminated, what is there for robots to do besides take on the roles of humans? Obviously, there are some societal differences – these are robots we’re talking about, after all – but for the most part, it’s a very human story. Remove all the trappings of the sci-fi comedy genre – the over the top violence, the alien invaders, Robots running the Earth, the general wackiness of it all – and you have what is actually a fairly effective social commentary.
Of course, you don’t have to dig that deep into the book if you don’t want to. But I do think it’s important that D4Ve is actually a character that can be related to. He acts as a tether for the readers, giving them an entry point into the world in which this story takes place. It is absolutely essential that book such as this have this type of character. Without him, it’s quite likely that the entire story would collapse in on itself. Fortunately, it doesn’t. In addition to acting as a tether, D4VE is also the source of much of the book’s self awareness. Some of this is fairly overt – he goes so far as to actually ask his son if he sounds ridiculous. The writing here is actually pretty clever, a blend of swear word filled rants and then lines that just have the greatest sub texts. These were the jokes that got the most sincere laughs out of me.
Valentin Ramon’s art is also one of the big reasons the book works. Ramon does a great job of establishing tone through his art style. The visuals in D4VE are just as important as the dialogue and monologues, in terms of setting up the world and the characters. Since the robots don’t actually have facial expressions, the fact that we get as much characterization through the visuals as we do is incredible. Body language is a key component of this, and Ramon nails it. The fluid movements of the characters and the dynamic settings in which they live really serve to bring D4VE to life.
In terms of plot and character development, Ferrier knocks it out of the park. The character arcs in D4VE are all great to watch unfold. Not only are they entertaining, but they have real pay off. There is actually good reason to allow yourself to be invested in the characters that Ferrier crafts, which lends the book a good deal of depth. Even if you’re not interested in looking for the social commentary that I alluded to earlier, it’s impossible to ignore the carefully constructed characters that populate this world. I’ve already talked about D4VE, but characters like TIN4 and Scotty have equally great stories. All of the characters are interconnected in some way, and the way their arcs end is connected as well. The relationships between the characters feel natural, and the ending pulls no punches in terms of wrapping up their respective stories.
So. Would I recommend the first volume of D4VE? I most definitely would. It’s absolutely hilarious, but there’s more to it than its absurdist sense of humor. Ferrier and Rammon do a great job of crafting a layered world, dynamic characters, and an engaging plot.
