Comics / Comic Reviews / DC Comics

Review: Unfollow #14

By Philip Schweier
December 28, 2016 - 10:48

 

I’m not familiar with Unfollow; I don’t know if it’s an ongoing story or an anthology series, but I can easily see the story in issue #14 as a stand-alone.

It’s the story of Nathan Baer, a down-on-his-luck writer who has been assigned to interview Larry Ferrell, an enigmatic recluse hailed as the inventor of social media. A cross between Howard Hughes and Mark Zuckerberg, I guess. Nathan was specifically requested, thanks to his obscure first novel, he has hopes scoring this interview will launch him onto the journalism A-list.

But Ferrell is a fickle man, forever a no-show at scheduled meetings, disappearing for days at a time, all in the name of furthering his gospel of bringing people together through technology. This frustrates not only Nathan, but also Ferrell’s fiancé, Bethany. It isn’t long before their shared frustrations lead to a great deal more sharing. Nathan must now face the consequences of his actions, at the hands of a social media messiah with a greater understanding of what technology can accomplish.

The story resonated with me, because I know someone EXACTLY like Ferrell (though not quite as smart). He took early retirement from a high-paying financial job. Looking for a new career, he decided he would become a franchisee for a national restaurant chain – mostly because he had their most recent financials at his fingertips. But the closest available franchise territory was three states away.

Perhaps this understanding led to his lackadaisical attitude. Whenever a telephone conference was scheduled, or a deadline to be met, he chose to go to the gym, or travel with family, or some other non-obligation. Eventually, the franchise company informed him he was unsuitable to their needs, because he had no experience with food service.

Rather than meet the rejection with an understanding of business, his ego required that he take it personally. He was unable to see it as the multi-million dollar equivalent of a high schooler applying for a job at McDonalds. Lack of experience diminishes one’s chances of being hired.

So I could easily relate to Nathan’s frustrations at constantly being stone-walled, while also at the mercy of the person doing the stone-walling. Bethany describes it as autism; others might call it sociopathy. And perhaps that what makes him the villain of the story. As for a hero? There isn’t one.

The artwork is clean and simple. I appreciate the clear-line style pioneered by Hergé, creator of Tintin. This follows that style without imitating it. Vincente’s color adds depth of field, but not so much that it erodes the minimalism of the clear-line illustrations. I think if this were a film, it would be staged, photographed and edited in the style of Ingmar Bergman, with long periods of quiet.

*Honestly, autism is not something I easily buy into. I think in this day an age, it’s often a catch-all affliction for any child who’s wiring is a little different. Harmless, but different. Granted, there are kids with genuine issues, but when I was a small child, the kid who sat in the back of the classroom eating glue wasn’t autistic, he was just weird, but he grew out of it. Put a label on a child, and in his mind, he’s branded for life. It becomes a cross he is forced to carry, yet a shield that protects him from the consequences of his actions. “He’s not responsible. He’s autistic.” He may be autistic, but he’s still responsible, and guess what? Maybe if you didn’t treat him like some sort of mental invalid, he wouldn’t behave like one.

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12