NYC2123 (written by Chad Allen, illustrated by Paco Allen) paints a great cyberpunk picture of the future of New York. Body modifications run from cosmetic to cybernetic. Flying cars soar in electro-magnetic bubbles. Designer drugs are legalized, including vending machine hash cigarettes. Private armies and churches are the biggest corporations on the planet.

The story itself centers around a cyberpunk "A-Team", a group of shady characters who find themselves in more trouble than they bargained for when they find themselves in possession of the keys to the end of the world.

Chad Allen's story concept is tight, and the pace of plot and dialogue is breezy. 

The one weak link of the writing is the lack of character development. While the characters are interesting archetypes, they desperately need fleshing out. There is no indication of why the protagonists do what they do, or where they come from. There is also no clear character arc from start to finish. As a result, NYC2123 feels more like an introduction to the characters rather than a complete story in itself, even though the plot is wrapped up nicely.

Originally designed for viewing on the PSP, NYC2123 is broken into six "issues" or chapters. Each chapter incorporates an average of about sixty individual graphic panels, each panel the exact size for the PSP screen. As a result, NYC2123 is not so much a comic book as it is a slideshow or a flipbook.

But it is a pretty slideshow. Paco Allen's artwork uses heavy photo referencing for the realistic and unique-looking characters, a style reminiscent of the rotoscoped feel of "A Scanner Darkly." The environments and the technology are well conceived and illustrated, particularly the cyberspace hacking sequence in issue 1. The art is black and white with the occasional well-placed splash of color for dramatic effect.

Unfortunately, because of the flipbook feel, there isn't a strong visual flow from one panel to the next. Each panel is treated as an independent page. Overall, NYC2123 is a quickly paced showcase of art and concepts, but the limitations of the medium show at the seams. 

Don't hold your breath for a follow up on NYC2123. The last issue was posted in June 2006, and the Allen brothers don't seem to have put out any other comics since, much to my disappointment. 

Overall, NYC2123: Dayender is completely worth the read.  You can read it for free on their website: nyc2123.com