I did do some research for a basic description of Chem 19 before even attempting to read it. I got the general idea that it is supposedly a story about a government regulated drug which kind of reminded me of something out of the movie Equilibrium; eh seemed like an interesting enough concept might as well give it a shot. And then I read it. Okay I will give credit to Kevin Truglio for the general concept but it seems like the kind of story two 14 year old boys write together and think they’re the shit. Or maybe it was meant to be a political statement about corrupt governments and the pharmaceutical industry but just ended up poorly executed. When I describe the plot it has all the elements to make a great graphic novel but I was cringing as I read it, which was pretty disappointing. There’s not a whole lot of character development, the writing is unoriginal and there’s just not much depth to it.

Let me just give you a basic synopsis; it starts off ten years in the future where there are citizens and non-citizens. The classified non-citizens include addicts, criminals and the homeless who must live segregated from the citizens. Chem 19 is a drug that once you take it you become dependent it on and if you stop taking it you die. It follows the military scientist that developed the drug and how he fights to get Chem 19 for his daughter that he keeps in hiding.

Alright, sounds promising right? WRONG! Dialogue is amateur at best; maybe it was inspired by a Nicholas Cage movie. I’m not sure why he would even want to develop a drug like Chem 19 but now is trying to counter the effects and if he developed it wouldn’t he just need to get it from his lab instead of buying it from drug dealers? Anyways the daughter needs Chem 19 to stay alive and isn’t going to survive much longer. The chapter ends with a cliff hanger and I’m not going to even bother with the next one.

Score: 1/5

Writer/Creator: Kevin Truglio Artist: Przemyslaw R. Dedelis Price: $.99 Website