Jumping-On: "Surgeon X" (Kenney, Watkiss & Berger)"Surgeon X" takes place in 2036 London, after several years of doctors “overprescribing.” (Might as well be USA 2016) A restrictive code has been implemented by the government rationing the amount of remaining antibiotics doctors are allowed to prescribe to the public.
As you probably came to the same conclusion as I in reading the above paragraph, Surgeon X's hook lies in part in the fact that its events are entirely possible (more than likely?) within the current reality you and I inhabit. The day to day insanity of our society makes stories like Surgeon X something you could read on the front page of your local paper and not bat an eye. Surgeon X is a well-executed cautionary tale, paranoia-inducing and thought-provoking. but also works well with its realistic, three-dimensional characterizations. Rosa is a badass, a relatable character with real determination and heart, with the internal conflict that we all love in our favorite superheroes. SARA KENNEY, acclaimed documentary, factual drama and animation filmmaker (Angels and Ghosts) and master artist JOHN WATKISS (Sandman, Deadman, Conan,) joined forces with KAREN BERGER, award-winning and Vertigo-founding editor for this new IMAGE series. Surgeon X drew plenty of comic industry media attention by the announcement it was to be edited by ex-DC Vertigo Editor In Chief Karen Berger. Make no mistake, if issue #1 is any indication the series will stand on its own merits. At the same time, there’s no question comic readers have felt Karen Bergers impact in comics, even if they do not fully realize it. And the comics medium that today allows a title like Surgeon X to exists is in thanks to Karen. For three decades, she worked as an editor at mega-publisher DC Comics, and her long list of accomplishments while there can mostly be traced back to one risky venture: creating and running a mature-leaning imprint called Vertigo from 1993 to 2013. In that position she did more than just about anybody else in comics history to get ambitious, avant-garde, non-superhero work in front of a mass audience. The Sandman, V for Vendetta, Preacher, iZombie, Y: The Last Man, Transmetropolitan, 100 Bullets, Hellblazer — to name just a few. 
Rosa, practicing her stitching.
Artist John Watkiss’ evocative, impressionistic set pieces alternate between a dark, apocalyptic feel and (appropriately) a more clinical aesthetic; I especially loved the throwback wartime public health posters that appear throughout,glaringly ominous slogans like“RATIONING IS RATIONAL” and “WASH YOUR HANDS…OR RISK LOSING YOUR LIMBS.” Given the state of things it’s inevitable for some politically-charged narratives like Surgeon X to bleed over into our beloved comics medium. Interestingly, the comic offers to bring something back into our real world as an app from Kenney’s Wowbagger Productions. You enjoy the traditional experience of reading the first issue. But that comic itself is full of live moments that will spin off into the app's character biographies, behind-the-scenes information, original line art, a stack of fake news reports from the future, stacks of live action and graphically illustrated documentaries around the themes of the comic books, featuring the creators of the comic book and advisors to its narrative. Provided enough people show interest in the app, we could be reading issue one of a new type of interactive comic book, raising some very compelling questions about what constitutes an comic book in today’s world of always-on tech. So what happens when a traditionally static product like a comic book turns into a fluid service like a music stream? All sorts of interesting things. For starters, we see some of the creative process in real-time. And it's fascinating. The possibilities are endless. Did you read "Surgeon X" yet? What did you think? Let us know in the comments! 
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