I loved the debut issue of Alex + Ada, so I was very excited to be able to review this second installment. It starts off with Ada (okay so she…or it isn’t named yet, but obviously that’s what he’s going to name her) asking Alex some questions and giving a run-down of her functions. She can do anything Alex asks as long as it doesn’t hurt animals, humans, or property. She can’t handle money or drive cars, and she has to keep her Tanaka (the brand of android she is) logo on her wrist visible at all times to confirm she is an android. Alex calls his grandma, still shocked and seemingly offended at the fact that she bought him this android. She claims that they have “a lot of love to give” and that he could use that right now. He says that he prefers love the “old fashioned way,” but by the look on his face it can be interpreted that deep down he knows his grandmother is right. He still talks to Ada after the phone conversation and says this is all a mistake, his grandmother enjoys her X5, but Alex doesn’t need it. Alex has Ada sleep on the couch, and after tucking her in we see him going up the steps but looking over at Ada before he goes up.
The next morning, Alex goes to work and leaves Ada standing behind the door. He checks on her status at work, and the holographic computer screen displays her picture, model number, name (as of now technically Alex hasn’t named her) and energy level. It’s at 61% when Alex’s friend/co-worker walks in and tells Alex about an account he recently closed. To celebrate, they go out to lunch. Alex’s friend asks who the cute girl was on what he thought was a dating profile which Alex closed when he walked in. Alex plays it off like he’s allowed to check out dating profiles, and his friend says it’s a good thing. At one point in their conversation, Alex’s friend says he doesn’t have any more clients to close, so he needs to figure out another way to waste time. Alex mentions about getting an X5 jokingly, which leads me to believe he just wants to see what his friend would think of it if he found out that Alex has one. His friend says it’d be really creepy, so that obviously doesn’t reassure Alex. His friend Emily calls him soon after and wants to drop off something later that day at his house. We see Alex thinking for a second, and immediately calls the Tanaka Android Customer Support. He schedules a return, but will he be able to get rid of Ada so easily?
I really enjoy the simplistic nature of this comic. It plays on human emotions and forces you to put yourself in the situation that Alex is in. The art reflects that as well as the futuristic setting. The art is very clean and isn't trying to be overly flashy or detailed. It serves its purpose and does it very well. I’m interested as to where this one goes, obviously I didn’t give the whole story but they leave it off at a pretty big cliffhanger. There are a lot of different possibilities, but I trust that they’ll make it memorable. I think many people can empathize with the main character Alex on one level or another, which for me is a big factor in enjoying this series thus far.
Score: 4/5
Writers: Sarah Vaughn/Jonathan Luna Artist: Jonathan Luna Publisher: Image Comics Price: $2.99 Release Date: 12/11/13