Joy Operations

July 1, 2022
Joy is the best special agent of the Jonando Trust, a corporate-owned city, and right-hand woman to Kathryn Menteuse, its leader. But Joy must choose between loyalty and the greater good when an agent from the Peachtree Trust invades her mind and informs her that Menteuse is implementing untested weapons that could destroy everyone. One of the best features of this action-heavy graphic novel is that it features an aging, gray-haired woman as a highly capable action hero who, in between fight scenes with a giant metal agent and floating gelatinous blobs, is trying to protect her kids and her partners (she's in a throuple, which is common in her culture). Two-page spreads show the progression of Joy in her form-fitting, black-and-white tech suit leaping across floating skyscrapers or fighting robots. Most panels are bathed in neon blue, driving home the omnipresence of technology and humanity's reliance on it. This is an exciting choice for readers who love their sf action comics but want to see a slightly different story being told.

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August 15, 2022
Bendis (the Ultimate Spider-Man series) and Byrne (the Legion of Super-Heroes series) team up for a sci-fi allegory in the vein of Blade Runner, with resonant themes but an overwritten script. In a futuristic technocratic world, Joy Corrigan is an EN.VOI, a security guard and troubleshooter for Kathryn Menteuse, head of the Jonando Trust, one of five companies that control this civilization. Devoted to Menteuse, Joy is staggered by the revelation that Jonando secretly intends to create a sixth Trust using dangerous and untested tech. Now, with the help of Hampton, a consciousness from a competing Trust that’s been implanted into Joy’s psyche (against her will), the EN.VOI must take down Menteuse and risk herself, her job, and her family. Savvy concepts and world-building fill in the background leading up to the battle showdown. Bold artwork by Byrne heightens the sweep of the narrative with zippy fight sequences and inventive character design. The script by Bendis (Ultimate Spider-Man) spotlights intriguing themes of technology vs. humanity, but Bendis’s trademark verbosity gets in the way of fluid storytelling. Many pages are devoted to Joy standing around and arguing with the voice of Hampton. There’s nifty ideas here, but readers will feel buried under an exposition mountain.