Photo: AP
MIAMI
Forget the dystopian future of science fiction stories, where Skynet endoskeletons stomp on dry human bones or people slumbering in fluid-filled pods serve as living batteries. Electronic music producer and DJ Steve Aoki imagines a future where humans live in harmony with technology, and he’s sharing that vision in a new comic book series called ‘Neon Future.’
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Although science fiction narratives commonly depict cybernetic machines turning on their human masters, as in ‘The Terminator’ or ‘The Matrix,’ Aoki doesn’t buy it. “A general plot is that technology is destroying humanity,” Aoki said. “The robots are going to make us their slaves, or the human species is going to be exterminated by technology. But in this case, we are going to become augmented. ... We use technology for the good. It’s a different kind of story.”
‘Neon Future’” is set roughly 30 years from now in a United States that has outlawed advanced technology. A civil war is brewing between people who have integrated technology into their bodies and those who have not. The resistance movement, Neon Future, is led by a longhaired, bearded, Asian-American man named Kita Sovee — whose name happens to be an anagram of Steve Aoki. The series follows an anti-tech crusader who dies and is resurrected by a technology developed by Aoki’s character.
“I believe that technology will merge with us,” Aoki said. “I believe that at the end of the day, we will all become the robots. We will become cyborg beings where we can have superhuman qualities with the technology.” Aoki said he liked the idea of having a character in the comic who’s loosely based on him but not the primary protagonist. With two sides at war, Kita Sovee fights for a third way — a path of coexistence.
“He’s the kind of the character that I would strive to become,” Aoki said. Aoki came up with the term Neon Future in 2014. He’s used it in the title of three of his five studio albums, with ‘Neon Future’ IV set to release later this year.
“Neon Future as a concept deserved an illustrative storytelling piece,” Aoki said. “A piece that can paint the picture of what the Neon Future really means.” Aoki said he grew up reading Marvel comics, like Punisher, Wolverine, X-Men and Spider-Man.
