Every year, there are books that fall off soon at the end of the year, and everyone slips their favorite book into place forgetting to leave space for another, and that book always falls in line with that year’s book. One of the best. Thank you to Mr. Ram V., Mr. Campbell, Mr. Watters, Mr. Kumar, Mr. Loughridge, and Mr. Bidika for making our winter tradition a reality at One Hand & Six Fingers.
Many were already calling it “one of the best comics of the year” when it was published as a single issue. In fact, I called it 2 of the best series of the year (it was actually 1 book) because it was published as 2 separate books. One Hand and Six Fingers. Now, in its collected form, it looks a little different and even better. It was clear at the time of its release that it was meant to be read this way, but the presentation and order here emphasize the careful dance both series nailed as they progressed their dueling narratives. . This is especially impressive because even though each piece can tell its own story with a clear theme, supporting each other, it is difficult to tell them as separate works.
The main integration that One Hand and the Six Fingers accomplishes is to discuss themes from The Matrix and Blade Runner simultaneously. One way to pitch it would be, “What if Deckard from Blade Runner was hunting Neo from The Matrix?” This is at least 90% accurate by my calculations. Of course, they’re big comic book geeks, so I think the actual inspiration was a 2000 comic called something like “Internet Messiah” or “Robot Hunter.”
Ali plays a badass cop who hardly abides by the rules and withdraws from retirement because of his last case, the third serial murder of a certain type that has occurred in his city. Ali is quite a man. He’s like a Frank Miller protagonist who is more focused on the mission. His stories really let the themes of humanity shine through, and it’s also a great place for creators to show off their (even?) dystopian take on the Matrix. Half of his series end with the horrifying revelation that people can never truly be happy. Monotonous but fulfilling days are depicted as the ultimate goal for humanity, and anything beyond that will only lead to disaster. In effect, it says, “Most of us would choose to live in the Matrix, and so will you.”
Ali’s entire story also revolves around that theme, and his obsession with solving mysteries is always fun to follow. Why is he so worried about his usual robot prostitute? Is it the identity of a typical noir hero, or just an obsession with following traces? Or is his noir hero archetype simply a part of him that he does unconsciously, and those actions are what make him happiest? This book doesn’t answer those questions, it just litters them throughout the series.
The One Hand half of the series is also the half that seems to focus more on shape and structure, which makes sense given the theme. Campbell’s storytelling is perfect for this, and the structure always feels haunting throughout the book. The more the panel structure resembles a code, the more this book, and Ari, feels off the rails. In general, Campbell is also a master at telling stories with shadow and ink, and the exhibit details he chooses are a lot of fun to pour over.
But half of Johannes’ book is where the team gets really weird. Sumit Kumar feels like the wind that moves freely through the book. He still works in panels most of the time, but no matter what grid he specifies, it goes beyond definition and is no more structured than that. It feels like he had more room to generate ideas, and because of that, there’s a different energy to his pages, which speaks to the theme of Six Fingers.
While Johannes is our Neo to Ari’s Deckard, he also feels like the most unique character of the whole thing. He is a terrorist, a serial killer, an academic, a worker, a revolutionary, and a robot philosopher. Sure, you might think of someone similar (you could basically argue it’s C-3PO), but even with that guy, it’s surprising where we end up. . Half of the book features people who desperately want to stay busy at the perfect level of intensity without actually trying too hard. In this half, we consider what it actually means to be trapped in a system. To feel like there is no way out, to be conscious of it when in reality you are not. The choice to make Johannes a graduate student working in menial labor was a no-brainer for me.
It makes total sense when he chooses to blow up shit in this stupid pursuit of freedom. His pursuit is one of intuition, which confronts his ordered system. What makes things even better is his relationship with the author of the book, who is obsessed with him and is a serial killer. Her art is pretentious and a little silly, but I appreciate that she can do art as a human, whereas the robot Johannes can only write research papers and kill people.
In many ways, this half-conclusion may be darker than Ali’s half: “All we want to do is dream, which is mostly content.” The finale is about the robots waking up in a language they’ve created for themselves over the years. What do they do with this newly acquired ability to communicate and act?To free themselves from the chains of existence, they jump off a skyscraper.
The One Hand & The Six Fingers is a book about our existence and how we struggle with the systems in place. Do we accept ourselves within it and pursue our own small desires? Do we commit suicide by seeing the system for what it is and running away from it?
“One Hand and the Six Fingers” review
one hand and six fingers
One of this year’s best, The One Hand & The Six Fingers is a project I wish more creators would bring out.
It’s very rare to have two teams with such synergy
The Blade Runner homage in particular tamps this down a bit
