Utopiates, Vol. One
Written by Josh Finney
Art by Josh Finney and Kat Rocha
Cover by Salvador Trakal
01 Publishing
Release Date: August 21, 2012
Cover Price: $12.80

In the 1970s, during the Vietnam War, there were many US soldiers who became dependent on opiates, specifically heroin. There were many stories and conspiracy theories surrounding possible CIA involvement in providing the addicted troops with the drug, but whatever the case, many of them came home as addicts. It was a further complication added to their return home from the war, and was an issue that inspired the great Geezer Butler of the band Black Sabbath to write the song “Hand of Doom“.

In Utopiates, we have a tale that mirrors these elements of combatants returning home as addicts. Set in an unclear timeframe in the future, though presumably not too distant, the War on Terror continues against elements in the Middle East. A mass casualty nuclear explosion in Detroit set off by a terrorist named Abu Rahman, spurs the nation into further fighting in Syria, Iraq, and other nations in the region.

Strained and stretched thin, the United States government outsources martial assistance from a variety of corporations, including a multi-conglomerate named Intersec. Focusing on a wide range of ventures, including pharmaceuticals, media, and Blackwater-style military grade protection and soldiering, Intersec specializes in a vast range of services making it a very profitable company.

During the same era, drug use has evolved. New drugs are developed containing RNA, based from and hacked from numerous sources to provide the user with a "personality" high. As “Family” might give the user a sense of ease, calm, and happiness, other varieties such as “Son of Sam” inject the personality of the serial killer into the user, merging it with their own personality and spurring on nefarious actions.

Intersec, during the Syrian conflict, provides their soldiers with a classified RNA based drug named “C.A.S.E.” The injections and doses give them the determination and willpower to attack the battles and kill their enemies. But, like the soldiers returning home from Vietnam, they come home finding themselves hooked to the drug and now without any source to continue their dependence. Adding to the lack of support from the Intersec Corporation, and the increasing diagnoses of PTSD, returning Intersec troops become desperate.

While the first volume of Utopiates follows a wide range of characters in different sections, the vast bulk of the publication focuses on Jed Eckert, an Intersec veteran whose father was killed in the Detroit nuclear blast. As action heats up with American soldiers in Panama, while undertaking the company-offered counseling with a computerized doctor, Eckert expresses a willingness to return to active duty. The company refuses, leaving him more lost.

Ravenous for a dose of “C.A.S.E.,” Eckert hits the streets and locates a woman dressed in black with glowing white eyes promising him the drug – in return for employment. Known only as The Prophet, or The Spooky Chick, the woman provides him with a dose. After verifying its quality, he agrees to her offer, joining an array of ex-Intersec troops to become street enforcers for her, in exchange for regular doses of “C.A.S.E.”

The writing of Utopiates is exceptionally solid, leaving a great deal open among the futuristic elements to add components of obscurity and ambiguity to the overall plot. It isn’t exactly linear, and rather jumps from main character to different character to highlight the world surrounding the Spooky Prophet. From the precise beginning, writer Josh Finney hooks you just like the utopiates themselves, and demands your attention from start to finish.

As with all excellent science fiction, there are many symbolic elements throughout the piece that are more representative of our current events, as well as historic events too. There are hints throughout the story that tend to indicate an element of interconnectedness, particularly with the motivations and actions of the Intersec Corporation. Silhouettes of Vietnam creep through the tales about returning veterans, while the media being in bed with politics and corporations in our contemporary society rings solidly throughout the tale. If anything, Finney has a message for us to learn from about our modern era through the use of futuristic dystopian cyberdrugs (as opposed to cyberpunk).

The art is exquisite and gorgeous, and an unquestionably delicious display to take in, to absorb, and to appreciate. Finney works with Kat Rocha on the panels, with the extensive use of digital painting. Their efforts are breathtaking, with some of the most prodigious artwork – and detailed realism – I’ve ever experienced in a graphic novel. The work is deliberately undersaturated, almost monotone in places, particularly in the Intersec counseling sequences. The conflicts are depicted with reds and oranges, as are conflicts; whereas scenes showing conversations between Jed and his old war buddy are strong in oranges and yellows, indicated a sunset in their life (or feasibly sunrise?).

But a wide range of colors erupt on the drug streets where Eckert gets his fix and enforces his job. The cyberpunk influences come through strong here, though the tinges change from page to page, shifting tones and hues, making an entire page a wonderful piece of art to stand on its own. The meticulous attention to detail in this work must have been considerably time consuming for both Rocha and Finney, and ensuring that the lettering is also integrated as part of this artistic display works wonders for its impact.

This is truly not only literary brilliance, but will come to be regarded as one of the most powerful pieces of art of the 21st century.

Utopiates does take many influences from a wide range of sci-fi elements – from the great classics, to dystopian epics, to cyberpunk – but captures the most important element of them all that makes it stand well on its own: relevance. There’s a great deal to learn from Finney and Rocha in this publication”¦ and I need another fix”¦

This is must-read material. If you haven’t already done so, read it.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5