Madi: Once Upon a Time in the Future
- Downloads：8049
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-28 10:51:28
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Alex Di Campi
- ISBN：1940878454
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Madi Preston， a veteran of Britain’s elite special operations J-Squad unit， is burnt out and up to her eyeballs in debt。 She and the rest of her team have retired from the military but are now trapped having to pay to service and maintain the technology put into them during their years of service。 They're working for British conglomerate Liberty Inc as mercenaries， selling their unique ability to be remote controlled by specialists while in the field， and the debts are only growing as they get injured completing missions。 We meet Madi as she decides she’s had enough。 She will take an off-the-books job that should earn her enough to pay out her and her sister， but when the piece of tech she’s supposed to steal turns out to be a kid， and she suddenly blacks out。。。 she finds herself on the run from everyone she’s ever known。
Reviews
Kien
，
pretty arts + mediocre story
Simon
，
Recent Reads: Madi， Once Upon a Time In The Future。 Duncan Jones and Alex de Campi's graphic novel takes a cinematic approach （with a selection of widescreen artists） to tell a cyberpunk road trip across a hypercapitalist world。 Much 2000AD love， wrapped up in a compelling tale。 Recent Reads: Madi， Once Upon a Time In The Future。 Duncan Jones and Alex de Campi's graphic novel takes a cinematic approach （with a selection of widescreen artists） to tell a cyberpunk road trip across a hypercapitalist world。 Much 2000AD love， wrapped up in a compelling tale。 。。。more
Andy
，
'Madi: Once Upon A Time In The Future'， from the minds of Duncan Jones， Alex de Campi and a whole host of awesome comics artists that includes; Dylan Teague， Glenn Fabry， Duncan Fegredo， LRNZ， Eduardo Ocaña， André Araújo， Simon Bisley， Rosemary Valero-O’Connell， Tonci Zonjic， Pia Guerra， James Stokoe， RM Guéra， Chris Weston， Rufus Dayglo， Annie Wu， David Lopez， and Christian Ward， plus colourists Matt Wilson， Nayoung Kim， Chris O’Halloran， Adam Brown， Jacob Phillips， Raúl Arnaiz， Giulia Brusco， 'Madi: Once Upon A Time In The Future'， from the minds of Duncan Jones， Alex de Campi and a whole host of awesome comics artists that includes; Dylan Teague， Glenn Fabry， Duncan Fegredo， LRNZ， Eduardo Ocaña， André Araújo， Simon Bisley， Rosemary Valero-O’Connell， Tonci Zonjic， Pia Guerra， James Stokoe， RM Guéra， Chris Weston， Rufus Dayglo， Annie Wu， David Lopez， and Christian Ward， plus colourists Matt Wilson， Nayoung Kim， Chris O’Halloran， Adam Brown， Jacob Phillips， Raúl Arnaiz， Giulia Brusco， Sergey Nazarov， Kelly Fitzpatrick， and Lettering by Alex， is a cyberpunk road trip set in the near-future。Madi Preston， is a cybernetically augmented mercenary， part of J-Squad， a merc special ops unit that freelances their unique ability to be remote controlled by specialists while in the field。 But when their latest mission ends with the death of one their crew， Madi decides she’s had enough。 But in order to pay back the debt she still owes， she takes an off-the-books job， and when the piece of tech she’s supposed to steal turns out to be a child， and she suddenly blacks out。。。 she finds herself on the run from everyone she’s ever known。I'm a big fan of Duncan Jones' movies， with this being the third and final story set in the same 'Cinematic Universe' as his 'Moon' and 'Mute' movies （the 'Mooniverse'）， the graphic novel takes the familiar elements and themes from those movies， especially from 'Mute' I feel， and adds a dash of 'Blade Runner （2049）'， 'Ghost in The Shell' and CD Projekt Red's recent 'Cyberpunk 2077' video game， blending everything together and reworking it into a brand new story， that was a joy to read！Originally a screenplay， 'Madi' is a 260 page graphic novel， that was funded through a Kickstarter campaign （with exclusive hardcover art by Yuko Shimizu and softcover art by Duncan Fegredo & Jacob Phillips）， and is published through Z2 Comics。The pacing of the story definitely felt like it could have been movie instead of a graphic novel。 The story kept me engaged all the way through， with its action packed intro， and all the way through to its exciting conclusion。 Even when the story slows the pacing down， there's still more than enough to keep you interested in wanting to find out what happens in the end。 The excellent group of characters， especially the main three of Madi， Ted and Dean as they embark on the road trip trying to outrun their pursuers， really helps draw you into the story and root for them。As good as the story is， the main talking point of 'Madi' is the artwork， with a venerable who's who of the comic industry working on the pages throughout the graphic novel。 But with the amount of artists involved， you might think that the clash of differing art styles when transitioning from scene to scene would be jarring and take you out of the story。 Not so for me。 It looked like the story was carefully divided up in a way to minimise this。 And it works really well， with the change in artist helping with the shift in tone of what is happening to the story on the page。I really enjoyed 'Madi: Once Upon A Time In The Future'。 It's lively and energetic， with a hard as nails BAMF female lead kicking ass from start to finish。 A graphic novel that is a spectacular feast for the eyes in a beast of a book！ 。。。more
Dom Mooney
，
Enjoyable near future SF graphic novel with a cyberpunk feel。 There's an interesting mix of artists， some more successful than others。 Enjoyable near future SF graphic novel with a cyberpunk feel。 There's an interesting mix of artists， some more successful than others。 。。。more
Steve Clark
，
Enjoyable action story。 Interesting to see different artist do the various chapters。My review at https://peakd。com/hive-164671/@steevc。。。 Enjoyable action story。 Interesting to see different artist do the various chapters。My review at https://peakd。com/hive-164671/@steevc。。。 。。。more
Jefferson
，
An ambitious setting with some great artwork， but it's a little let down by a mediocre， by-the-numbers story。 An ambitious setting with some great artwork， but it's a little let down by a mediocre， by-the-numbers story。 。。。more
Kevin
，
I really enjoyed this and found it to be a fitting end to the "Mooniverse，" should this prove to be the final installment。 I thought Alex De Campi brought the characters to life through vibrant and varied voices， and the choice to change artists every 10-20 pages was fantastic。 Duncan Jones' presence was felt through the familiar setting， the strong pacing， and the themes that carried over from Moon and Mute。 I really enjoyed this and found it to be a fitting end to the "Mooniverse，" should this prove to be the final installment。 I thought Alex De Campi brought the characters to life through vibrant and varied voices， and the choice to change artists every 10-20 pages was fantastic。 Duncan Jones' presence was felt through the familiar setting， the strong pacing， and the themes that carried over from Moon and Mute。 。。。more
Kim Hayes
，
Being a huge Bowie fan， I just had to get this and see what Duncan has been up to！ Didn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to， but this is the first graphic novel I’ve read so all very new to me。 I also didn’t appreciate the change of illustrators although I totally get why it was done。 I know lots of people love it though， which is the main thing！
Ryan
，
An incredible final installment to Duncan Jones's 'Mooniverse'。 A rich and exciting sci-fi story with stellar art from some mind blowing artists。 Jones and Di Campi have done a great job pairing each scene with each artist so the energy and the flow of the story feels just right。 J-Squad have stolen my heart。 Get yourself a Deluxe Hardcover from Z2 Comics while they're still available。 It's a beast！ An incredible final installment to Duncan Jones's 'Mooniverse'。 A rich and exciting sci-fi story with stellar art from some mind blowing artists。 Jones and Di Campi have done a great job pairing each scene with each artist so the energy and the flow of the story feels just right。 J-Squad have stolen my heart。 Get yourself a Deluxe Hardcover from Z2 Comics while they're still available。 It's a beast！ 。。。more
Paul
，
There’s not much in here that fans of science fiction won’t have seen done elsewhere， but the storytelling and artwork combine into something unique， for the first half at least。 The ending is a bit smashy-crashy-explosions and I found myself wanting more of the story and character development from the first half。Overall it’s welcome addition to the Mooniverse
Patrick Kijek
，
Fun， futuristic story with incredible， neon art。
Rachel
，
I enjoyed the book and the story， though I found the transition between some of the artists （not all） jarring。
Fariha
，
Such a pretty book （oversized slipcase deluxe edition）。。。 yet what an uninteresting， “been there seen that” story。 Even more anger inducing that ugliest art had the highest page count。 Can I get my money back？ 3 stars just for the physical book production。
Andrew Cook
，
I am so torn on this， but If I’m being completely honest， I would give it 3。5 stars。 Through the first half， it was a true 5/5。。。 not for originality， but for the perfect combination of story and multiple artists meshing perfectly together。 Let’s be real。。。 this story isn’t “unique。” It takes elements from sci-fi/action stories we’ve seen over and over again and reinvents them into a new storyline。 The art， however， makes the book and story unique。 Deciding to break this story up amongst multipl I am so torn on this， but If I’m being completely honest， I would give it 3。5 stars。 Through the first half， it was a true 5/5。。。 not for originality， but for the perfect combination of story and multiple artists meshing perfectly together。 Let’s be real。。。 this story isn’t “unique。” It takes elements from sci-fi/action stories we’ve seen over and over again and reinvents them into a new storyline。 The art， however， makes the book and story unique。 Deciding to break this story up amongst multiple artists was extremely smart。 It excels the pace of the story and really makes a “meh” storyline much more intriguing and rich。 This is especially true in the first half of the book。On the flip side， multiple artists can also cause the flow of a story to feel clumpy or uneven。 For example; does one artist capture a characters persona the same way as another？ If not， it can cause huge issues to the overall feel of the book especially in key moments。。。。 unfortunately this was evident in the 2nd half of this story。 The 2nd half seemed extremely rushed and predictable and some of the artists/writing didn’t capture the characters the same way in which they were introduced in the beginning。 This was such a bummer since the pace of the first half was so spot on！ I don’t want to giveaway any spoilers but I will say this。。。 was it worth the read？ Yes。 Madi was a fun experience and the art was absolutely captivating。 What could have made it better？ An extra 100 pages of character development and a little fine tuning to the art in the 2nd half as the end escalated too quickly in a way that made it disappointing。 。。。more
Robert Hochstetter
，
Really loved it overall， thrilling story， wonderful art， and high quality book。 Well worth it。
Julien
，
Quality of artwork is unequal but the story holds up well and the very cyberpunk universe as well。
Mel
，
I enjoyed this。 Nice old fashioned cyberpunk setting。 It felt very much like British comics from days gone by。 My only real complaint about it was that it was so action focused as I prefer less fighting in my comics。 But I still really enjoyed it。 It had great characters and an interesting story。 Would love to see more。
Keith
，
A lot of great artists on this and while the art changes often it never feels too jarring， and the story is a gripping cyberpunk thriller that I enjoyed a lot。
Maryja Šupa
，
Enjoyable and beautiful。
Miki
，
In the distopian world of Duncan Jones' Mute and Moon， augmented mercenary Madi fights for her and her closest ones' freedom， by taking a job that involves a kid with very special abilities。 She ends up deciding to help the kid， while a number of interested， unconscionable parties chase and attack them to get back the kid and his abilities。 Allies turn into enemies and traitors， sometimes even against their own will， as the corporations in charge use augmented technology to gain back power over In the distopian world of Duncan Jones' Mute and Moon， augmented mercenary Madi fights for her and her closest ones' freedom， by taking a job that involves a kid with very special abilities。 She ends up deciding to help the kid， while a number of interested， unconscionable parties chase and attack them to get back the kid and his abilities。 Allies turn into enemies and traitors， sometimes even against their own will， as the corporations in charge use augmented technology to gain back power over their "goods"。 A fast-paced adventure， perfectly matched by the amazing visual art， that features quite a lot of renowned artists， and changes for each chapter and each part of the story。 This graphic novel was funded through a kickstarter project， proud for backing it。 。。。more
Pete
，
The third in Duncan Jones' so-called "Mooniverse" series/trilogy， it's clear that this was meant to be a movie。 The last quarter of this graphic novel is an exciting action-packed fight sequence that was blatantly conceived for the big screen。 Maybe there's still a chance that could happen。。。 who knows？The story is about a team of soldiers who have cybernetic enhancements that allow them to be controlled like puppets by someone back at base。 Madi is one of these soldiers。 They are basically now The third in Duncan Jones' so-called "Mooniverse" series/trilogy， it's clear that this was meant to be a movie。 The last quarter of this graphic novel is an exciting action-packed fight sequence that was blatantly conceived for the big screen。 Maybe there's still a chance that could happen。。。 who knows？The story is about a team of soldiers who have cybernetic enhancements that allow them to be controlled like puppets by someone back at base。 Madi is one of these soldiers。 They are basically now in indentured servitude as they are paying back the debt they owe for maintenance of all the tech inside them。 Madi takes on a job that will pay enough to get out from under her debt but it doesn't quite go to plan and she ends up babysitting a powerful young boy named Dean。。。It's a pretty good story overall。 Nothing that's going to change your life， but these days books like that are rare indeed。It's the art that is the main talking point in my opinion。 It's a jam project with multiple artists， most of who I thought did a great job and were well suited for the project， my favourite pages being by Dylan Teague and Annie Wu。My least favourite would be the James Stokoe pages。 Not because I thought it was bad art， although I wasn't hugely enamoured with it。 I just thought it was incredibly out of place compared to the rest of it。 It was a bit jarring。Anyway， overall I enjoyed it a fair bit！ 。。。more
Mel
，
I enjoyed this sci-fi child heist。 Yes， that's a new genre I just created - child heist。 Which is really kidnapping， but it was definitely an interesting story as the child is also a piece of tech people want so they can control EVERYTHING！It was fun， not too in depth， nothing I had to really think about。 I would say it's more 3。5 stars than 3， but I wouldn't give it four。 I enjoyed this sci-fi child heist。 Yes， that's a new genre I just created - child heist。 Which is really kidnapping， but it was definitely an interesting story as the child is also a piece of tech people want so they can control EVERYTHING！It was fun， not too in depth， nothing I had to really think about。 I would say it's more 3。5 stars than 3， but I wouldn't give it four。 。。。more
Paul
，
When I was young due to my Dyslexia comics were the medium that my school used to try and get me to read。 Now， this had its ups and downs like reading an genre。 And at the time most of what was about were superhero adventures。 Something that I could never really get my teeth into for any length of time。 I did find some comfort in the works of people like Alan Moore， Neil Gaiman， and Art Spiegelman。 Later on， I would come to find new places to escape to in Ghost in the Shell and bubblegum crisis When I was young due to my Dyslexia comics were the medium that my school used to try and get me to read。 Now， this had its ups and downs like reading an genre。 And at the time most of what was about were superhero adventures。 Something that I could never really get my teeth into for any length of time。 I did find some comfort in the works of people like Alan Moore， Neil Gaiman， and Art Spiegelman。 Later on， I would come to find new places to escape to in Ghost in the Shell and bubblegum crisis。 But then I kind of drifted away from this world into more conventional reading。 Novels took over and that was for the most part。 Recently however there have been a few publications that have brought me back all be it in a small way。 So why Madi you might ask yourself， well this is largely down to one man。 Duncan Jones has directed some of my favorite movies。 Mute to me is up there with the best sci-fi films I've seen。 A blending of genres to create something amazing。 So anyway to the book at hand and my previous statement comes around here。 In Madi， we get some good old staples of the genre plus some extras。 Duncan seems to have a way of seamlessly blending the old with the new in his work。 In Madi， we get a hero to root for but not the super kind， despite her augmentations she is someone who Is very human。 What drives her is I suspect something the would push us all forward to do the right thing。 It's like those old Hollywood films where one must stand up to evil and fight for what is right。 Now I can't really talk about this novel without talking about the artwork。 And what I really like here is the use of several different artists throughout。 It gives a shifting tone to the work and invokes many different eras of comics。 Some to me were familiar from things I have read or seen before others what a new experience for me and I got to say I really enjoyed it。 It also meant it felt like you were reading a collection of single issues rather than a novel that came out in one go。 So when you are reading it you get to say I really like the way these panels are done ill go check out other books they worked on。 Overall it feels like if the writers and artists of 2000 AD had come out with Ghost in the Shell。 A combination that I can really get behind。 So can I recommend this book to you， yes of course。 If you are looking for a good solid cyberpunk graphic novel take out that hard-earned cash and slap it down on the counter。 You in for a whole world of nostalgia to escape into for a little while。 。。。more
Matthew Woo
，
Solid cyberpunk story， art is great （most of the time）。 The whole story is action packed， character development of the protagonist is good but on the other hand for the antagonist is "meh" 。 Overall a fun short story Solid cyberpunk story， art is great （most of the time）。 The whole story is action packed， character development of the protagonist is good but on the other hand for the antagonist is "meh" 。 Overall a fun short story 。。。more
PBNightmare
，
Story falls apart at the end。
Sean
，
3。5 really
Rob Caswell
，
Thematically this tale falls square into the classic 80's cyberpunk camp - and whether that's a plus or a minus， it's on you。 The main schtick here is that a group of cybernetically enhanced mercs， operating under contract， can sneak or plow their way into any secure/defended facility and once inside can allow themselves to be remotely piloted by someone with vital skills to fulfill the sensitive， on-site part of the mission。 Throw into that mix a kid who's been modified to be the ultimate cyber Thematically this tale falls square into the classic 80's cyberpunk camp - and whether that's a plus or a minus， it's on you。 The main schtick here is that a group of cybernetically enhanced mercs， operating under contract， can sneak or plow their way into any secure/defended facility and once inside can allow themselves to be remotely piloted by someone with vital skills to fulfill the sensitive， on-site part of the mission。 Throw into that mix a kid who's been modified to be the ultimate cybernetic code breaker and the plot goes from heist to （not so merry） chase half way around the world。 There were elements that reminded me of "Logan" （more the movie than the book） and a few characters who felt like they were re-employed after their gig on Duncan Jones' second piece in this series， the movie"Mute"。Aside from the notion of being able to remote control your cyber ronins on demand， the story didn't hold too much special for me， though it was engaging enough。 Artwise the book is all over the map。 Every 5-10 pages the art team changes。 Some artists are excellent and lend not only good character renderings， but solid futuristic design。 Others。。。。 not so much。 In particular I found Simon Bisley's art contribution to feel like a jarring mismatch compared to much of the rest of the book。So， uneven art and a story that didn't feel overly fresh。 A middling product。。。 but at least the story and characters were more engaging and likeable than "Mute's"。 But if you're the type who just can't get enough of the 80's cyberpunk vibe， you might find a bit more to like here than I did。 。。。more
Jeremy Hornik
，
What did a doctor in a Hawaiian shirt ever do to Duncan Jones， that’s what I’d like to know。 Neat premise， literal using the notion of controlling people。 It gets a bit farcical in the action at the end。 That’s not a bad thing。 The regular change of artists serves the production deadline better than the story， I think， although there’s some really lovely art along the way。
Jaysen Huculak
，