6 Autobots
allhailgrimlock

Grimlock ♥ Ultra Magnus

I'm a well read grad student who's bluntly honest about all things, although I try to be most honest about myself.   

Currently reading

Separate Orbits
Yael Mermelstein
Progress: 119/427pages
BATMAN #53 ((Regular Cover)) - DC Comics - 2018 - 1st Printing
LeeWeeksBatman53, TomKingBatman53
BATMAN #54 ((Regular Cover)) - DC Comics - 2018 - 1st Printing
MattWagnerBatman54, TomKingBatman54
BATMAN #52 ((DC REBIRTH)) ((Regular Cover)) - DC Comics - 2018 - 1st Printing
LeeWeeksBatman52, TomKingBatman52
BATMAN #51 ((DC REBIRTH)) ((Regular Cover)) - DC Comics - 2018 - 1st Printing
LeeWeeksBatman51, TomKingBatman51
Infinity Wars: Iron Hammer (2018) #1 (of 2)
Al Ewing, Humberto Ramos
Champions (2019-) #4
Jim Zub, Jacinto Benavente
SUICIDE SQUAD #46 ((Regular Cover)) - DC Comics - 2018 - 1st Printing
JosLuisSS46, RobWilliamsSS46
SUICIDE SQUAD #45 ((SINK ATLANTIS)) ((DC REBIRTH )) ((Regular Cover)) - DC Comics - 2018 - 1st Printing
JosLuisSuicideSquad45, RobWilliamsSuicideSquad45
Champions (2019-) #3
Jim Zub, Jacinto Benavente

Romance story with a robot

Artifice - Alex Woolfson, Winona Nelson

And for once, it wasn't something that fetishized this: it was an exploration of loneliness in a machine, built to kill.   And a gay man who was derided for his sexuality.   (I'm going to explain these both.)   Deacon is built for war, programmed, and doesn't have friends.   Jeff is a boy who wasn't aborted, or fixed, when it was found out he literally had the gay gene. (Apparently this is what happens with the unwanted people, such as gay people?   But the fact that this isn't super clear - or how far this goes isn't super clear - is one of the flaws of this graphic novel.)

 

Deacon is sent to kill colonists who harbor a secret that can hurt the corporation who built him.   When he finds Jeff, a lone survivor of his attack, he spares him because Jeff claims to know nothing of these secrets - and Deacon believes him.   In a jarringly stilted mating dance, Jeff and Deacon get their sexytimes on.   (Jarringly stilted is how I felt at the time of reading and now.   But given how different these characters were, it makes sense.   There are, like, no other gay people so I'm not sure Jeff really knows how to act around a lover, and Deacon is like 'emotions?    Why so strong?'   In other words, it would be less believable if they acted as if they were used to this.)   There was a lot of very obvious blushing. 

 

The problem  is the retrieval team.   See, Deacon needs to be retrieved, and they need all the colonists dead.   It's a nice little problem to tease over, and when both Jeff and Deacon get taken alive, the robot gets sent to therapy.   Nothing is physically wrong with him; no one can tinker with him and poof, fix him.   I was absolutely shocked by a couple decisions at the end.  They made sense, but... I didn't see them coming.   The author successfully distracted me with backstory and Deacon's struggles with his emotions.   So that was absolutely well done. 

 

The problem for me became little details that were full of potential and never explored.   How does aborting everyone with a defect - or is it just gay people - effect society?   What about the fact that Deacon can be programmed?   Will that effect his relationship if he has no option but to obey commands?  And does that leave room for exploitation, other than the obvious slavery?   (I mean, in a relationship, sexual exploitation.   You know what I meant, right?)  

 

And then there was the therapist.   Why does his therapist yell at him all the time?  Is that just because she's dealing with a machine?   Is this a new form of therapy?   Oh, Primus, do I have to worry about getting-yelled-at therapy now?   (On an unrelated note, I may never go to a therapy session ever again.)   Why is she considered such a good therapist since her go-to backup plan seems to be 'yell if you don't get what you want?

 

Still, I enjoyed most of this.   There were enough nagging questions at the end that I didn't feel like this was fully wrapped up in some ways; it really needed more world building that didn't revolve around Jeff or Deacon.   That is, a lot of larger issues are mentioned and/or glossed over and that made this more unsatisfying than a four star book for me.   Then again, it wasn't something where I went, 'ugh, one half star.'   Or even 'meh, two stars.'    So I settled on three.