Alex + Ada joins a long and rich history of comic books being used as allegories of persecuted, marginalized, and oppressed people. The most mainstream example of this is the X-Men series. Writer and creator Chris Claremont said in 1981, “The X-Men are hated, feared and despised collectively by humanity for no other reason than that they are mutants. So what we have here, intended or not, is a book that is about racism, bigotry and prejudice.” The series has been used as a comparison to real world conflicts experienced by racial minority groups, LGBT people, and many others. There was even commentary from the series on the AIDS crisis during the Legacy Virus story arc, where an incurable virus only effecting mutants was being spread.
This same story of individuals outside the norm trying to find a safe place in the world is the core of Alex + Ada. Set sometime in the not to far off future where robots, or androids, are commonplace. A lone incident where a mass of androids from a specific corporation gained sentience and massacred its employees, for completely unknown reasons, has planted seeds of suspicion and prejudice towards androids. Which is where the story begins. With Alex Whal, sullen and lonely, having just been left by his long time girlfriend, and being gifted with a top of the line of android by wealthy grandmother to keep him company. At first he doesn’t want her, but before he can send her back something changes, he decides to keep her and names her Ada. Unsatisfied with her lack of personality and total obedience, Alex finds a group who “unlock” androids’ artificial intelligence. He goes for it.
Alex and Ada begin to fall in love. This does not go without repercussions though. Sentient androids are illegal, and the vitriol towards them, just like the number of ones being unlocked, is growing. Along with two other sentient android, Ada was walking through the National Mall when police asked for their IDs, they barely escaped but not without blurry video recordings of the incident making its way into the news. In addition, Alex’s best friend discovered Ada was sentient and attacked her. With the number of people knowing their secret growing, the government crackdown on self aware androids expanding by the day, Alex and Ada go to the one safe haven they know of to look for advice. An anonymous virtual reality forum (essentially what the internet has become) where sentient androids go, with a few humans, for a sense of community and understanding. But not long after arriving the forum is compromised by the FBI. Realizing that the government now has their information Alex and Ada make a run for it, only moments before police storm into their home.
The creative team of Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughn have taken a fairly simplistic concept and turned it into one of the most underrated ongoing comic series. The complex and compelling relationship between Alex and Ada is what drives the story, but the more subtle social commentary is what sets it apart from so many other stories in the same vein. The basics are there, a group that’s hated and feared, which is, by nature, as Chris Claremont put it, about bigotry and prejudice. But Alex + Ada goes beyond those important, but somewhat surface level themes. It delves into the idea of the basic human need for companionship, and not just with Alex, but also with his grandmother. She has an android, non-sentient, whom she cares about deeply, spends most of her time with, and even, much to Alex’s chagrin, has sexual relations with. Her dying wish was for Alex and have him unlocked so that he could have a life of his own after she was gone. But to me, the most notable issue it touched on, though only briefly, is that of transgender people. After Ada is unlocked, she and Alex are in the forum and she’s told that there are people that can alter her appearance. That androids are made without the decision of their sex, and that if what they have been given on the outside feels wrong, then they can have it changed to match what they feel inside. This really resonated with me, I could imagine someone reading this that has actually experienced these feelings, but had never seen them presented in something mainstream before. Moments like this are what make comics so special to me.
My one slight issue with Alex + Ada as a whole is the art. It’s very simple. Which is not inherently a bad thing, and at times works perfectly for the story that they’re telling. But it also can look lazy when after four panels the only thing that has changed are two character’s mouths, or nothing at all. Up until this issue this has been essentially an action-less series. Completely story and emotionally driven. Which is an impressive accomplishment and not something often seen in comics. But with only two issues left things are starting to escalate quickly, and this issue appears to be the tipping point towards an intense and possibly heartbreaking conclusion to a beautiful story.