Automatic Kafka #1-9
Published by: DC/Wildstorm - 2002
Written by: Joe Casey
Illustrated by: Ashley Wood
Automatic Kafka was “written to give the average superhero fan cold sweats, nervous conniptions and night terrors;” it is a comic “written on handfuls of things swallowed late at night” according to writer Joe Casey in an endnote to the first issue. A nine-issue DC/Wildstorm miniseries from 2002 written by Casey and illustrated by Ashley Wood, Automatic Kafka is the story of the eponymous washed-up former superhero android—and current junkie—Automatic Kafka and his estranged former teammates—the “$trangers”—but, despite what the cover-text claims, this is not a superhero comic.
The story begins with Automatic Kafka discovering an illicit drug created to allow robots to experience the pleasures of the flesh in ways never previously possible—Automatic Kafka having, in the past, always faked the intoxication and abandon that accompanies alcohol and pantomimed the bliss of sex. He is later pursued by a shadowy government agency—the “National Park Service”—and, on the advice of one of his former teammates—decides to hide in plain sight by seeking to recapture his fame, so as to become too high-profile a target for the secretive agency.
One of the major appeals of Automatic Kafka is hinted at in its name: its surreality. It is arguably a “Kafkaesque” approach to the tropes of superheroes, science-fiction, popular culture, and fame. “The Million-Dollar Missing Detail” gameshow featured in the comic, for example, is a surreal exaggeration of the types of exploitative reality shows that have become common fare on modern television—and the social permissibility of violence and personal harm for the sake of entertainment—(think “Fear Factor,” “Survivor,” and “Tosh.0”—especially “Tosh.0” which is, at times, so extreme as to be almost a parody of its own vulgarity). In one issue, Automatic Kafka also borrows characters from Charles Schulz’s “Peanuts” and shows what they are up to as adults: perhaps a postmodern commentary on the perpetual adolescence of American culture? the failure of each of us to live up to what we hoped to be? or our inability to successfully evolve and adapt to changing times? or, maybe, merely a funny idea? I don’t know, and, considering the nature of postmodernism, it may not matter.
The series also incorporates elements of metafiction; most notably in the final issue where the creators—Casey and Wood—become characters in their own comic and decide to do away with Automatic Kafka to preserve his integrity as an artistic statement and unique creation spawned from a unique inspiration, rather than allow him to become a character that can be mass-produced, licensed, and whored for generations to come.
The only real failing of Automatic Kafka is that it did not end of its own accord, never reaching its full potential, a potential only hinted at in the first—and only—nine issues. The series was cancelled and, thus, Casey likely had more stories to tell before reaching the end it did, instead being forced to abandon several plot-threads which were still in their relative infancy and certain consequences were hinted at but never made manifest. But, to put it into context, its hurried terminus is not as disappointing as the forced ending of Mark Waid’s very good series Irredeemable—another quality series whose subplots all became inconsequential because an ending was needed sooner rather than in its own time—though Waid ended Irredeemable for personal reasons, whereas Wildstorm ended Automatic Kafka for financial reasons.
Automatic Kafka has a vulgar sense of humor that could be argued to serve the purpose of social commentary—contestants on a gameshow being killed in pursuit of the “million-dollar missing detail,” a well-hung former superhero disguised in a gasmask becoming a porn actor, and women throwing themselves at Automatic Kafka due to remembering him from his superhero-heyday during their age of sexual awakening—as if he were a member of a “boy-band”—for example.
Automatic Kafka is firmly and completely for adults only; the sexual content is so graphic that the profanity and violence seem inconsequential by comparison.
Recommendations:
If you like Joe Casey’s writing on Automatic Kafka you should also check out his much tamer series Godland illustrated by Jack-Kirby-clone Tom Scioli. Godland is a brightly-colored, eye-catching, traditional all-ages superhero comic that follows the exploits of a former astronaut whom is imbued with cosmic abilities which he uses to protect the Earth from extraterrestrial threats and homegrown menaces. The art often references the pioneers of the artform—Kirby and Steranko primarily, though there may also be some Ditko. Casey’s sense of humor is again on display, but, in Godland it is tempered to appeal to a broader audience.
Ashley Wood’s art is, as always, a pleasure. It is sloppy and imprecise, but lives on the page. At the end of the first issue and the end of the last issue, we glimpse some of Wood’s painted/mixed media work that leaves one somewhat disappointed that we were subjected only to pen, ink, flat colors, and halftone patterns for the bulk of the series.
If you like Ashley Wood’s art, check out his early work on the Spawn spinoff Hellspawn and two Spawn one-shots—Spawn: Blood and Shadows and Spawn: Blood and Salvation—as well as Metal Gear Solid, Lore, and Popbot.
It should be noted that, though there is overlap, there are several distinct eras in Wood’s style. These begin with Ghost Rider 2099—in a style akin to Hellshock era Jae Lee—progresses through his work on the aforementioned Spawn titles, including cover-art-only contributions, most notably for the Sam and Twitch series—featuring a moody, dramatic, and digital-heavy style in whose footsteps Ben Templesmith follows to this day—then takes on a loose pen and ink style with occasional painting and/or computer coloring—like his work on Automatic Kafka, Metal Gear Solid, Zombies vs. Robots vs. Amazons, and Tank Girl—and finally work that incorporates greater use of oil-painting such as Popbot.
Brian Bigelow
July 23, 2017
