The Private Eye by Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin (An Oxford College Student Review!)

The Private Eye by Brian K. Vaughan (writer), Marcos Martin (artist), and Muntsa Vincente (colors)

In this column, I feature comic book reviews written by my students at Oxford College of Emory University. Oxford College is a small liberal arts school just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. I challenge students to read and interpret comics because I believe sequential art and visual literacy are essential parts of education at any level (see my Manifesto!). I post the best of my students’ reviews in this column. Today, I am proud to present a review by Grace Hetrick:

Grace Hetrick is a second-year student at Oxford College of Emory University and is considering majoring in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology or Biology. Her home is Ann Arbor, Michigan where she grew up as a big Michigan college football fan. Grace’s favorite writers include Scott McCloud, Jeff Lemire, and Junji Ito, and her favorite book is The Sculptor. Her other interests include running, playing piano, and finding good sushi places.

The Private Eye is a science fiction mystery comic book written by Brian K. Vaughan, drawn by Marcos Martin, and colored by Muntsa Vicente. It is futuristic noir written in a bright and lively manner, as opposed to the dreary and dystopian tone we typically find in this genre. The setting takes place in the city of Los Angeles, which is interestingly in alignment with many other literature and films in the noir mystery genre. The plot does not contain any mythical creatures or unrealistic superpowers that are usually seen in most science fiction genres. Instead, the characters are drawn in a world where they all wear fantastic and colorful masks to hide their identities, which appear to be a little out of this world.

I would not recommend this book to a young audience as it contains mature themes, along with frequent depictions of violent and sexual scenes. The book also includes some difficult topics such as the aftermath and trauma following the unexplained death of the main character’s mom. She passes away at an early age after going out to her secret job at night, and we see how much the childhood trauma from this horrific experience has affected P.I. We also see Taj’s sister’s unforeseen murder, and watch as Taj’s anger motivates her to uncover answers and seek revenge. Another commonality in this book which exists among many other sci-fi novels is the way they reiterate not to trust law enforcement. This more adult concept is a subtle way authors critique current systems and challenge the idea that going against the government is not always bad.

My favorite thing about this comic is the fact that it was released initially, entirely on the internet. The irony comes from the fact that the story is set in the year 2076 where there is no internet, and everyone has a secret identity. People’s closest family members never even truly know each other. This new world formed years after the digital cloud “burst” and exposed everyone’s darkest secrets. This information being unveiled destroyed family relationships, friendships, and careers, and sent people’s entire lives into chaos. In this post-disaster world, anonymity and private identity have become the most fiercely guarded and sought after possessions. News reporters have replaced the roles of the police, and unlicensed paparazzi have become the generations’ most dangerous criminals. The story follows an illegal P.I. (Private Investigator) who is launched into a case much bigger than he could have ever imagined after the unsuspecting murder of one of his current clients. This case surrounds a conspiracy to bring back the internet.

We are taken on a journey alongside P.I. and Taj, the victim’s sister, to uncover the secrets hidden among this case; we follow P.I. as he attempts to discover what privacy means in our society. The audience is encouraged to reflect on what it means to have privacy, especially in the way our present society interacts with the internet. Before reading this, I feel that I did not appreciate how much exposure and lack of privacy we have in present society. For example, there is a scene in this new world where an individual’s library catalog search history being released is considered an extremely dangerous activity. It’s even surprising to see news reporters being controlled entirely by the government.

The internet is a large determiner of our privacy and how ‘exposed’ our personal information really is. This story raises the question of where the line is drawn in balancing liberating information with over exposure of someone’s personal information. Many of us may not realize this, but this configuration of balance shapes an entire society. In some ways, we recognize that the World Wide Web we have access to in our modern lives allows us freedom through unlimited information. It is why the maniac villain of this story believes the internet should come back. However, it also makes you wonder if this complete transparency we gain from information is overbearing, and instead maybe a fault of freedom. Where is the line between our personal freedoms and our freedom to information drawn? Is the function of the internet in modern society fair? This extremely thought-provoking narrative is so inventive in the way it questions such an established and prominent societal system.

The illustrations from Marcos Martin and Munsta Vicente perfectly capture the aesthetic of a paranoid reality. His artwork plays with identity and the way individuals chose to visually express themselves. Is the way we choose to express ourselves something of our privacy? The fantastical costumes he creates conceal people’s gender, racial backgrounds, and any other identifying physical traits. The extravagances of their outfits are meant to distract others from their real identities and allow everyone to hide from each other. The way this book explores alternative identities feels like a new concept, but really they are just exploring these alternative identities in the real world rather than online in this futuristic noir. The wealthy, of course, have more access to the premiums of secrecy including their updos or means of hiding information—and the artistry does an incredible job of capturing these subtleties.

So, in the intriguing and well crafted noir storyline, with societal questions of the future, this is easily a five-star read. The plot is fast paced and hard to put down in this lively and exciting style. Vaughan allows readers an opportunity for their own opinion as he simply poses ideas to us, without necessarily giving us a compass showing us what is right and wrong. Obviously, the villain is who is in favor of bringing back the internet, with the ‘good guy’ being the one trying to prevent this from returning. However, in the way he designs the narrative, there is no real definitive answer regarding what the balance of privacy should be. In Private Eye, Vaughan places us all into a hypothetical world so we will imagine an opposite society of the one we currently live in, as a way of considering a privacy different from what we currently accept.