The Synthetic Enigma

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The Synthetic Enigma

Postby Uzobono » January 26th, 2014, 3:56 pm

Hi everyone, posting a day early cause' I'll be *super* busy otherwise.

It's been a *long* time coming but the sequel to 'The Synthetic Expose' is here! Doll #905 aka Shan's story continues, with twists galore!

You can find 'The Synthetic Enigma' here:

http://www.mccomix.com/gallery3/index.p ... tic-Enigma

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Re: The Synthetic Enigma

Postby Sumatra » January 27th, 2014, 5:24 pm

Another great work of art Uzo. Definitely worth the wait once again.

Loved the recap, great blast right out of the gate, as well as Lilly's point of view. The trap Tanya laid out was confusing at first, reading it over, gotta give kudos to you, all of it falls into place like a puzzle.

Fucking amazing what a ride Shan went through, glad we have a doll with personality finally, hoping Plastique's doll ends up like this. That page with her going through emotions and talking back to Lilly is fucking wild.

Last piece with Lilly was a huge twist I thought. Didn't see it coming. Her conversion is your best yet, but is she a doll? She seemed to look like her old self, with some muscles, and implants. Those eyes and that headpiece are great. Great great fucking update.

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Re: The Synthetic Enigma

Postby sohta123 » January 27th, 2014, 9:03 pm

Wow! Just wow! I wasn't sure what to expect coming into this from the cover but this about blew my mind.
So much in this I'll have to read it several times to get all of the hinted stuff.
The way Lilly was changed leans more toward zealot than drone. Hope there's more of that coming.

And Shan as a drone now self-aware.... hmmm...
I'm wondering if she'll go back in the other room expecting to attack only to find her programming won't allow it and will try to work covertly back at the facility where the other drones are.
And I had been wanting to see Doctor Rei without her glasses. She is so hot looking.

I hope that we don't have to wait too long for the second half.

More covers please when you can. ;)

Great work all around.
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Re: The Synthetic Enigma

Postby xarielx » February 1st, 2014, 5:43 pm

Uzo, I had decidedly mixed reaction to this comic, which surprised me as I reflected on the context and content. While on the whole, you've introduced another return from dolldom, it plays true to the plot. My meaning being, that while Tanya wanted a more humanoid companion, it backfires on her quite viciously, and it could have ended on a more sour note than it did were that not the case. I loved the twin sister plot device being used, its a rare trope in sequels, and you made sense of it here, though I wished you would have shed some light on the conflicted relationship or Lilly and Tanya, as that seems to have been erased from Lilly halfway through and would have helped to level their dialogue. I simply adore how you lay the groundwork for emotional play through all of your work, especially prevalent here, as a reader would expect Tanya to hide the Shan doll, yet its thrown in Lilly's face to accept, and the Lilly's rebuttal serving as the catalyst for showcasing Tanya's sociopath mentality works for me. The transformation of both sisters to and fro is extremely well done, and the "memory" pages of Shan's transformation were heartwarming. To say that Lilly is the victim in the issue is an understatement, she seems to have not been enslaved as much as indoctrinated, and grossly transformed into something decidedly erotic yet dangerous, a mirror to your other villainess Nemesis, as she mentions. The question I have about Shan's "awakening" is, was it the shock of seeing her sister and making the connection that made her snap? It seemed, from the last panel of 'The synthetic expose' that something of Shan remained in the doll, and she was there all along, and this transfer as well as the guilt of her action drove her memories to the surface. Review overwith, I simply loved the issue, it seemed to go very deep and the quality, again, is a benchmark on your record.
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Re: The Synthetic Enigma

Postby obviousagent » February 6th, 2014, 3:05 pm

Uzo, your works go from strength to strength they always suck the reader in and give them a thrilling ride.
I to wish there had been a bit more of an explanation into the relationship between the sisters but hey, it's to be continued.
The art work is truly second to none. I'm not an artist nor can I use poser but I have to admire the tiny details you include in your illustrations.
Now I await with baited breath the continuation of this chapter of your work.
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Re: The Synthetic Enigma

Postby Uzobono » February 8th, 2014, 2:09 pm

Thank you everyone for the comments!

@obviousagent: Thanks *so* much! I'll probably go in depth with the sisters in the next issue for sure :).

@xarielx: Thank you *tons* :D ! I'm *so* happy you enjoyed the comic so much :p. To answer your question...I guess I left it ambiguous in the first issue if Shan was still in there or not, but no she wasn't :p. This new Shan is essentially her old self kinda....compiled by a doll mind, so in essence the same person, yet not, but you're right, the guilt kinda "clicked" her memories into place, where the doll figured out "Hey I was this person...wait a minute, I wouldn't have wanted to be a doll!" :p.

@sohta: Thanks! Lilly *is* different, I'll say that :p. The next issue though might be a while :p, remember there's that pesky Haven/Ruby issue I have to do...and Night Moves...and CORE :p.

@sumatra: Thanks a lot! Lilly *isn't* a doll exactly, synthetic definitely but no, not a doll, I'll definitely go into what she is in the future though :).
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Re: The Synthetic Enigma

Postby fools_page » March 9th, 2014, 6:09 pm

A belated review of “The Synthetic Enigma”:

First, mechanically, I really enjoyed the new style of the dolls and drones . . . that is, in their “shinier” texture. Uzobono’s artwork is quite beautiful, and I could appreciate an entire series of his illustrations even without the dialogue. The movements suggested, the general appearance of the character, facial expressions, all are quite superb.

Of as much and greater appeal here, though, is the story itself. The story of Lilly was not, at first, what I had expected, having read and thoroughly enjoyed “The Synthetic Expose.” Actually, what I was hoping for initially was another doll-transformation sequence, in which Lilly in pursuing the lead on her sister would herself end up serving the same fate. I would still like to see another such transformation in this series, especially in light of the above-mentioned new artwork style. This was not the story told, though, and for that I’m glad, as this was a much finer effort.

Lilly’s story is a tragedy. I like tragedies, in contemporary and classic literature as well as in the context of erotic mind-control fiction. The key to good tragedy, regardless of genre, is that through loss there is an affirmation, or gain of some nature. In this case, Lilly’s investigation into her sister’s disappearance leads, in all practicality, to her own destruction: what she was is no more, and any hope of recovery at this point seems dim, even more so than any other doll or drone created by the Agency. The transformation was dark but also erotic, and on that basis alone is as successful as the story’s immediate predecessors, “A Doll Day Afternoon” and “The Synthetic Expose.” What raises “Enigma” to an even higher level, though, is the affirmation received, in this case not by Lilly but by her sister, Shan.

Shan’s identity, though lost forever, has been (unintentionally) awakened by her twin’s (unintentional) sacrifice. That’s good writing. Shan’s awareness of these circumstances also directly leads to a sequel in the old sense of the trilogy, wherein the first story introduces the hero (Shan), the second introduces the final problem (that her lover and now owner Tanya is a heel), and the final installment, one hopes, will lead to resolution (one where Tanya) is herself victimized by the forces she has unleashed, hopefully turned into a doll herself).

Shan may never regain her humanity - another tragedy - but she can still likely balance the scales with Tanya, who truly deserves “dollhood.”

Briefly, “Enigma” is a deeper, more meaningful story than its still highly enjoyable predecessors, and even if nothing of what I predict comes true, it’s still a thought-provoking (and highly charged erotic) tale.

“Expose” . . . “Enigma” . . . another “E” word for title?

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Re: The Synthetic Enigma

Postby sohta123 » March 9th, 2014, 7:22 pm

fools_page wrote:A belated review of “The Synthetic Enigma”:

“Expose” . . . “Enigma” . . . another “E” word for title?

fools_page


I vote "Erotica".

Good notes fools_page. Totally agree.
I'd love to see more zealots like Lilly created. Maybe differing colors for various reasons.

Doctor Rei is actually one of my favorite characters in all of these stories. I'm really hoping whatever the outcome that she comes out unharmed and can be used in sequels. She is a formidable opponent. Wicked girl with a great mind.
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Re: The Synthetic Enigma

Postby Uzobono » March 14th, 2014, 3:00 pm

Woo thank you *so* much fool's page (and everyone :) ), reading that made me *so* happy.

And yes, the third installment will be an "E" :p.
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Re: The Synthetic Enigma

Postby bluemax2 » June 26th, 2014, 9:08 am

Uzo:
Will you be getting back to this sequence of stories before the end of summer?
I'm sure many of your fans and readers look forward to the next installment.

thank you.

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