Book review: WE3

Title: WE3
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Frank Quitely
Pages: 104

WE3 is a graphic novel about 3 pets that are kidnapped by a U.S. Air Force research team and turned into killing machines. Their senses have been greatly enhanced and they have been equipped with armor exoskeletons, they have even been taught to talk. They are referred to as “biorgs”.

The team, a dog, a cat and a rabbit, carry out a number of missions (mostly assassinations) and it has been decided to decommission the team and put the animals to sleep. Their trainer however cannot bear to see the animals killed and so she sets them free.

The animals, led by the most intelligent among them – the dog, manage to elude capture and so the Air Force decides to use another, newer and much improved, biorg to take them out.

Although the animals are trained to be killers they do not attack unless provoked. This, along with the fact that they were once pets makes it easy to empathize with them.

At 104 pages this is a short book but it is full of touching scenes. I felt compassion for the poor dog who berates himself as “Bad dog, Bad dog”. I would love to see a movie based on this book.

Advertisement