The Exec

Looking like a first-person shooter videogame marketed to mid-management types, The Exec is all gloss with not much going on under its shiny surface. The story of a CEO of the future who downsizes employees with extreme prejudice could have been a nice platform for if this goes on-type science-fiction or snarky black humor (imagine him “outsourcing” several thousand drones at a time using neutron bombs), but, sadly, Comics Conspiracy plays it all too straight.

Our “hero,” an empty suit, if ever there was one, sports a jaw that could crack nuts and Bruce Wayne blue/black hair. He wanders around a striking, under-realized future, where the corporate dress code for women includes breast implants, tight skirts, and stiletto heels (excepting, thankfully, the hero’s elderly mother). The script never gives readers a reason to care about any of the characters, and the art seems as if it’s being propped up by the coloring (which suffers from a limited palette). Bottom line: There’s nothing to justify the higher-than-usual cover price.

— S.A. Bennett

Jump to issue:

#1

Several characters in profile on cover

Feb 2001

Cover: $3.95

W: Doug Miers · A: Carlos Paul

1 copy for $4.98