www.morpheustales.com to give this series a go. In the early 1990s, Peter Bagge made a name for himself as the cartoonist laureate of the Seattle grunge scene with his slacker epic Hate. Although some of his later comics tackled speculative material, such as the amusing Apocalypse Nerd and the lacklustre Yeah!, Reset is Bagge’s first foray into hard science fiction, and the results are at least passable. In Reset, a washed-up comedian named Guy Krause signs up for a scientific experiment that allows him to relive events from his own past. In a laboratory, he dons a virtual reality helmet and haptic simulators to experience digital reconstructions of key moments from his life, such as his high school graduation. The interactive technology, complete with a handy reset button, allows him to change the course of events to his own satisfaction. The line between the experiment and Krause’s real life soon begin to blur as he stumbles upon a conspiracy that has manipulated his career to ensure his participation in the study, but Reset keeps the true purpose of the project a mystery until the final issue. This premise is no doubt a commentary on the artificiality of reality television, the constructiveness of celebrity image, and the fluidity of the division between reality and fiction. Reset’s combination of speculative satire with a black-and-white palette makes the comic reminiscent of certain Twilight Zone episodes, although the writing comes steeped in a caustic sarcasm that reeks of Generation X. Most of Bagge’s work has a humorous edge, and Reset is no exception, although the comedy here is much more muted than one might expect, given the look of the comic. Bagge’s signature style, on full display in Reset, unites the manic exaggeration of kustom kulture cartoons with the low-rent neurosis of underground
comix, all placed in service of characterdriven, relationship-based comedy, where noodle limbs and demonic mugging portray personalities with believable psychological depth. The art only switches gears when Krause flashes back to his past, where the cartoonist employs a flattened look that mimics Flash animation. Although some readers might enjoy the contrast between the outrageous form and the naturalistic content, the eccentric visuals of the series will put off others. By Ryan David Muirhead BESIGNED: BOOK ONE OF THE OUTCAST CHRONICLES By Rowena Cory Daniells www.solarisbooks.com This is going to be a fabulous and massive epic trilogy, and judging by the first book in the series, it will be a wide-ranging and complex story. The scope and scale of the first book is daunting and, at first, difficult to get into, but once you are a couple of hundred pages in you realise the epic and exhaustive world that has been created. To describe the story in a couple of paragraphs would do it a disservice as there is so much going on here. Magic, political and sexual intrigues, gender issues, and much more are held within the worlds of T’EN and the ‘True Men”. Complicated and complex, this is a story that demands to be told. It is rich and diverse and offers a complexity you rarely find outside of Peter F. Hamilton’s massive tomes. This book can’t be recommended individually; this is not a book meant to be read as a stand-alone novel, but gives you enough of the story to want you coming back for more. Daniells has created an exceptionally well-thought-out world, with good characters and a fascinating plot. Bring on the second and third books in the series. By Adrian Brady 20