Gritty detective stories set in the future have been a source of great creativity in a variety of media forms since the days of Blade Runner. Read Only Memories, the new title from IDW, is no exception to that. It takes classic tropes of both genres and mixes them with a new style.
Lexi Rivers
Santa Cruz, California. 2067. Lexi Rivers is a private investigator who takes on a case from a newly sapient robot. She’s tough but not in that ubiquitous “badass” way female characters are often slotted into.
From moment one, she is interesting and engaging. Lexi starts by posing as a reporter to interrogate a target. Initially, her goal is to determine if the woman is faithful to her partner or not. It’s a classic detective case.
In many ways, Lexi’s a classic detective. She takes rough, morally questionable jobs to make ends meet. Lexi has feelings for a woman who’s probably too good for her. She sneaks favors from friends to make something out of nothing.
Lexi is a detective through and through.
The Story
After leaving one case behind, she encounters Hedy, a robot in search of its missing loved one. The story then deftly carries the reader through different locations and people. This is how the story introduces you to the futuristic world and defines Lexi’s life with as little exposition as possible.
Sina Grace, the writer, is extremely effective at doing just that.
Fortunately, a running internal monologue is a huge part of the detective genre. It gives the storyteller a means to get out important information and key details without seeming out of place. Realistically, Read Only Memories has a lot of details to pick up on in the early going.
It’s a big world filled with numerous moving parts. Thankfully, the story gives you what you need to understand. You’re not confused by what’s going on because some of it’s familiar from other stories. Read Only Memories successfully takes those familiar parts and does something interesting with them.
Visual Style
Realistically, it can be hard to set the tone of a futuristic detective story without feeling derivative. Stefano Simeone, the artist, has chosen a style that conveys the futuristic vibe well.
Quite smartly, Stefano uses a color palette that sets it apart from the standard detective genre but creates a futuristic feel. Mostly, it’s wonderful shades of pink, blue, and purple. The look is unique and fantastic.
Read Only Memories: What’s Next
Remember, this is only the first issue. In the end, it leaves you in that classic detective story moment. You realize that the simple case is a lot more complicated. Issue two should build nicely from there.
Additionally, it’s worth noting that issue one isn’t burdened by gratuitous or unnecessary violence. Lexi does get her clock cleaned by a gang member who doesn’t like her sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong. But that’s it.
Yet another classic detective moment.
There will certainly be more action in future issues but this is a smart way to start. It puts the focus on the narrative and not the violence. If it starts with an action-packed issue, then that is what readers will expect throughout the series.
Reading along as Lexi unravels the mystery presented by Hedy will be amazing. Truthfully, the true test of this story will be in its resolution. Preferably, the journey should be enjoyable but a mystery’s conclusion has to be satisfactory to be worth it.
The rest of the series will be more than worth the read if issue one of Read Only Memories is any indication.
