Pixels of You: A Graphic Novel

Pixels of You: A Graphic Novel

A human and human-presenting AI slowly become friends—and maybe more—in this moving YA graphic novel from award-winning writers Ananth Hirsh and Yuko Ota, and illustrator J.R. Doyle. “A sweet, smart tale of art, bitterness, enmity, and camaraderie.”— New York Times bestselling author Cory Doctorow In a near future, augmentation and AI changed everything and nothing. Indira is a human girl who has been cybernetically augmented after a tragic accident, and Fawn is one of the first human-presenting AI. They have the same internship at a gallery, but neither thinks much of the other’s photography. After a huge public blowout, their mentor gives them an ultimatum: work together on a project or leave her gallery forever. Grudgingly, the two begin to collaborate, and what comes out of it is astounding and revealing for both of them. Pixels of You is about the slow transformation of a rivalry to a friendship to something more as Indira and Fawn navigate each other, the world around them—and what it means to be an artist and a person. Gr 7 Up-A moody, meditative vignette of a relationship taking root. Indira and Fawn are both aspiring artists on the grind at a hip urban art gallery. They're also rivals, in part because Fawn is a humanoid robot, and Indira feels haunted by the rise of artificial intelligence. One of Indira's eyes is robotic, replaced after a tragic accident that killed her parents. Her automated eye, coupled with the circumstances of her loss, causes her ongoing distress-and she's suspicious of Fawn. Fawn has problems, too; she faces insidious anti-robot discrimination and sometimes struggles to connect with her parents, who are robots but don't present as humans as she does. As Fawn and Indira are forced to work together, their assumptions about each other begin to break down, and they start to care about each other and learn from their differences. But the book isn't as didactic as it may sound-the robot/human relationship serves as a reflection on managing cultural alienation, and the girls' chemistry is well developed, building to a surprising, sweet conclusion. Hirsh and Ota's story is a combination of broad narrative strokes and intimate moments, and Doyle's manga-inspired, deliciously purple and pink illustrations float with ease through a near-future New York. Indira is South Asian American, and Fawn inhabits a white body. VERDICT Though aimed at young adults, this one will resonate with some adult readers, too. Light but thoughtful sci-fi for fans and skeptics alike.-Emilia Packard, Tokyoα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. "Ultimately a short but sweet story about two girls slowly falling in love. . .The art, however, is striking, with bold, stark colors; plays on light and dark; and disrupted frames depicting photos and extending emotional moments."― Kirkus Reviews "The robot/human relationship serves as a reflection on managing cultural alienation, and the girls’ chemistry is well developed, building to a surprising, sweet conclusion. Hirsh and Ota’s story is a combination of broad narrative strokes and intimate moments, and Doyle’s manga-inspired, deliciously purple and pink illustrations float with ease through a near-future New York." ― School Library Journal Ananth Hirsh and Yuko Ota are the Ignus Award winning team behind Lucky Penny , which won a Cybil Award, was a JLG selection, and received a starred review from PW . They live in Brooklyn. J.R. Doyle is an up-and-coming artist, creator of Knights-Errant , a successful web comic and Kickstarter project. They live in Brooklyn.