REVIEW: 'Hexware' #1 Tim Seeley, Zulema Lavina, and Valentina Cuomo

HEXWARE #1 

Writer: Tim Seeley

Artist: Zulema Lavina

Publisher: Image Comics

Release Date: December 7, 2022

Cover Price: $3.99

Why sell your soul...when you can buy a new one?

In a corporate-ruled world where class inequality is greater than ever, a desperate, lonely populace is drawn to neo-spiritualism and hedge magic.

When their teenage daughter is murdered, the Marks family is left asking the gods what they did to deserve this. But their android maid, Which-Where, has a different approach. Perhaps if she asked the devil...

A new futuristic miniseries by acclaimed creator TIM SEELEY (HACK/SLASH, REVIVAL, Nightwing, Superman vs. Lobo) and rising star ZULEMA SCOTTO LAVINA (Red Sonja, The Little Mermaid)!

THE MAGIC ORDER meets Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? in this dark mashup of witchcraft and sci-fi.

Score:

★★★★☆ (4/5)

QUICK REVIEW: In a future world where technology has advanced so far, people of means have their own androids as assistants/servants. Robotic humanoids cater to a rich human's every need constantly asking how they can help. It's a world where the division between classes has widened even further leaving behind a desperate population to fend for themselves. But what happens when an android's seemingly programmed loyalty leads to an unyielding thirst for knowledge to undo a dramatic loss? 

The android, Which-Where, is determined to help her host family recover from their loss and its journey finds a way through the dark arts. 'Hexware' is a fascinating mixture of cyberpunk aesthetics with a supernatural twist that blends magic and technology into what writer Tim Seeley describes within its pages as "neo-spirituality." You never really know what to expect or where the story is going until the end and you welcome the originality and fresh magical sci-fi gumbo. 

Zulema Scotto Lavina provides great designs with detailed world-building that's not glossy or sterile but rather, gritty and energetic. It may be a futuristic setting but there's a darkness to this world that rises from the dirty streets below. Lavina injects a lot of motion and embellishments with line work that quickens the pace, especially during the action sequences. Valentina Cuomo's colors add warmth and depth to the pages with dark rich colors. The use of purple is particularly effective. 

'Hexware' blends science fiction and the occult in an unexpected way that makes it fresh and fun. Issue one lays the foundation for an off-the-wall adventure full of promise and excitement.