How entertaining can a comic book be when the first eight pages consist of two groups of people sitting across from one another talking? Well, when it come to Alex + Ada #3, incredibly entertaining!

Official description from IMAGE:
Ada is an amazing piece of technology, but Alex realizes she’s missing something. He goes in search of it and finds out he’s not the only one unhappy with the way things are.

Issue #3 of Alex + Ada is a lot of talking heads and for comics books it may seem contradictory in nature but Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughn know how to tell a story. It’s not just Alex and Ada they make interesting but also Alex’s group of friends who are now privy to the addition of Alex’s new roommate. They stare in wonder, ask a variety of questions, some mildly uncomfortable, but nothing as a reader you haven’t been asking all along. This is also the first time the mention of the Nextaware massacre, briefly touched upon in issue one, raises it’s ugly head. Again, this is something that would come up in conversation naturally but Luna and Vaughn make you feel like one of Alex’s friends who would bring such topics up.

The heart of this issue is the underling question of what it is to be human. Alex finds Ada to be likeable and, not wanting to feel like he’s “drowning a puppy” by returning her, he continues to try and make things work. While Alex would like Ada to be more human, any thoughts, opinions or interests are strictly against the A.I. Restrictions Act. The core of the matter is that Ada is fun to be with, watching T.V., playing video games and so on but without choice or opinions there is little chance at growth or true human interaction. It’s seems obvious but the way the story rolls out and Luna and Vaughn’s ability to make Alex likeable and genuine makes you feel for him and in many ways feel just as much for Ada.

I don’t want to overstate the great writing in lieu of Luna’s art because again it’s a lot of day to day, average tasks and conversations but like great special effects it’s when you don’t notice them that they make the most impact. For comics not always the best attribute due to the very nature of the medium but Luna maneuvers it well. The simplicity on the page lends tremendous weight to the overall strength of this story. There is some beautiful coloring and effects when Alex enters into Prime Space that brings home the true sci-fi nature that lies just under the surface of everyday life.

The story leaves us with the question of how far Alex is really willing to go to make Ada more human and where will it lead him? Alex discovers that there is a “Robot Rights” movement and how this doesn’t lead into our actual world’s parallels to basic human rights will be an interesting topic Alex + Ada will have to tackle. It those very things that makes this such an engaging book where a conversation is as captivating as an out of this world sci-fi sequence. Not easily accomplished but Alex + Ada achieve it abundance. Alex + Ada is simply an amazing title!

5/5