Overall, I’ve been enjoying Alex + Ada as a series so far. I’ve been pulling for it to sell well as it approaches the midway point of the story (I believe it is scheduled to run 12 issues). That said, issues like #3 and unfortunately this one really worry me about the quality of the rest of the series. If there have been two really disappointing issues in these first five, could that mean at least two more issues will be a letdown? This issue pretty much only focuses on the aftermath of Ada getting her sentience block removed by Franklin (this is the hooded android that we met in the forums). She starts freaking out because due to the overwhelming feeling of… well, having feelings. She goes through a range of emotions from being mad at Alex and hitting him in the face, to laughing hysterically, to crying before she closes in on herself.
It’s also called “post-hack isolation,” and Ada has to decide whether to get out of it or not. Franklin explains that some androids will never connect with reality again because they’re too overwhelmed by the hacking experience. If Ada is happy with her life with Alex so far, she will probably return to him as he wishes. On the other hand, she can decide to return with Franklin and go back with other sentient androids like him. That’s if she decides to break out of this post-hack isolation. I won’t give anything than that away because there’s so little that happens this issue other than Franklin explaining more rules and options for Ada.
By this point in the series I feel like the successful issues focus on the emotive aspects of Alex and Ada’s relationship (if you can call it that) or just Alex’s emotions. The feeling of isolation was great in the first few issues and really drew me in. That said, this issue was very dialogue-heavy and other than Ada freaking out, there wasn’t a lot to draw me in like other issues have.
Franklin also warns Alex about how this is illegal and he can’t let anyone know that he has a sentient X5. In this issue there’s a point where they could get busted, but I didn’t feel any sense of urgency or danger.
The best way I can explain this issue is flat. There wasn’t a build-up to anything, a real cliffhanger, or a sense of unpredictability. I’ll read next issue but only because I’m covering the series to review. I honestly can’t recommend picking this up but I hope fans of the series will stick with it. I’m not sure how many more disappointing issues like this I can take though.
Score: 2/5
Writers: Sarah Vaughn and Jonathan Luna Artist: Jonathan Luna Publisher: Image Comics Price: $2.99 Release Date: 3/26/14