Sex and technology collide in Red Light, a new erotic thriller from writer Sarah Cho and artist Priscilla Petraites for AWA Studios. The four-issue series explores the limits of artificial intelligence and asks the age-old question: what makes a human?
Red Light follows Lacy, an A.I. sex worker living in a futuristic Red-Light District. When she meets an orphaned child, Natalie, the pair decide to try and escape, but find themselves caught up in the mystery of Lacy's creation.
"I knew I wanted to write something in the erotic thriller space and focus on a protagonist we haven't really seen before - the most unlikely hero in a sense," said Sarah Cho. "I've always been a writer who explored the interiorities of unexpected protagonists, and I knew the themes of female agency and the importance of empathy were crucial for telling this story right."
You can check out a gallery of pages from the comic below - which are mostly safe for work.
"Working with AWA has been such a good fit for Red Light because they don't shy away from edgier topics and are all in for unique and creative ideas," continued Cho. "Their enthusiasm for originality and for my project has really helped me do my best writing."
Take a look at Jeff Dekal's main cover for #1 and a variant by Frank Cho below.
AWA's chief creative officer Axel Alonso described the new book as "a unique and thoroughly fascinating take on the intersection of sex and one of the most front-of-mind topics of the day: A.I."
He went on to say, "With A.I. programs mining today's internet, our fears are well-founded. What truly motivates creators of A.I.? Will A.I. help or destroy us? Sarah's story posits the question: What if there were an A.I. that was built on - and guided by - algorithms that were curated from the very best that humanity has to offer? Programmed with built-in empathy, Lacy is more humane than the men who made her, and what she does with her gifts is riveting. With a kick-ass female creative team like Cho and Petraites, I'm eager to see how fans react to this multifaceted series."
Red Light #1 is published by AWA Studios on November 1.
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