[ExI] The Surrogates, graphic novel

[Max More]

I have added this comment on The Surrogates to my list of "Comics of 
Transhumanist Interest" here:
<http://strategicphilosophy.blogspot.com/2009/05/comics-of-transhumanist-interest.html>


The Surrogates, by Robert Venditti & Brett Weldele 
<http://www.amazon.com/Surrogates-Graphic-Novels/dp/1891830872/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265598580&sr=1-1> 
I found the movie mildly entertaining, but not terribly engaging or 
intellectually stimulating. The original graphic novel is a little 
more interesting. I didn't much like the illustration by Weldele, 
though it might be more to your taste (too lacking in detail for my 
liking). The strongest parts, for me, were the fictional ads for 
surrogate bodies (which seemed to have very much in common with 
Natasha Vita-More's earlier "Primo Posthuman") and related text on 
the ad campaign.

We're all extremely familiar with the idea of virtual bodies in 
virtual space. Surrogates differs from the standard by envisioning a 
world of physical surrogate bodies that often look like de-aged and 
enhanced versions of people's "real" physical bodies. The tone is 
lightly anti-transhumanist, alas. In reality, transhumanists might 
like to have such surrogate bodies, but surely they would also prefer 
to enhance their primary bodies, rather than to leave their sluggish, 
slobbish physical primaries stacked ungainly in the closet.

Max


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Max More, Ph.D.
Strategic Philosopher
The Proactionary Project
Extropy Institute Founder
www.maxmore.com
max at maxmore.com
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