Artificial by Maria Llovet
Image Comics (April 28, 2026)
Reviewed by Joshua Gage
Maria Llovet is a comics author and Illustrator from Barcelona. As a complete author, she has published numerous graphic novels in Europe and the US, such as Luna, Loud, Heartbeat, Eros/Psyche or Porcelain, among others. As an artist, she has collaborated with Brian Azzarello in Faithless for Boom! Studios and with James Tynion IV in Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country and Thessaly for DC. Her newest graphic novel is Artificial.
Clara, a fashion stylist disillusioned with love after her recent relationship with Matteo, turns to a futuristic dating service offering lifelike android partners. What begins as curiosity blossoms into passion, until her android lover gets stuck in roleplay mode as the jealous Lord who sees Matteo as his competition. Things get worse when Clara can’t connect to any real people at the Date-X company, and her android sees Matteo as someone he must kill to possess her. This is a violent, lusty horror scifi story, something akin to a Black Mirror or Twilight Zone plot, but a quick fun read for graphic novel fans.
Artificial presents a dark side of AI, a cautionary tale of how quickly a exploratory pleasure can become an addictive threat if left uncontrolled. Stories of people falling in love with computers or machines is nothing new, but Llovet adds her unique twist with the use of cellphone apps, virtual ordering, AI customer service, etc. The isolation that Clara feels, which only adds to her cynicism of love, is palpable and contemporary. For fans of scifi horror, especially thrillers that explore the excesses of humanity, this graphic novel is highly recommended.
