Comics Features

INTERVIEW: Sam Roads, Author of Silicon Heart #1: A Better Tomorrow

So I happened to get the opportunity to interview a fellow alumni of AP2HYC, Sam Roads, about his comic Silicon Heart. It is currently still crowdfunding for future issues in Kickstarter. I enjoyed reading the first issue and it has a more human side of the story than more A.I. genres out there and I definitely recommend you to check it out!

Here are some of the questions I was able to ask him:

AP2HYC: Can you tell us a little bit about the comic and the direction you want to head with it?

Sam: It’s about a girl who falls in love with the synthetic boy next door. The story takes place in the Welsh Valleys in 2045, in a satirical future where interracial and gay relationships are everyday, but the new prejudice is against human/synth relationships.

There’s a lot of light comedy, and artist Kat Nicholson draws the characters with warmth and energy, a contrast the darkness of the bigotry and alienation that our heroes endure.

AP2HYC: What inspired you to write Silicon Heart?

Sam: I wanted to write Silicon Heart as a direct response to the government failing to implement same-sex marriage in Wales. Thankfully that has now changed, but I also think that it takes a long time for society to move once legislation has made it illegal to be prejudiced against a group who have been ostracized. And it is the job of storytellers to show their readers other version of reality than the status quo.

You used to never see TV or film with black presidents of the USA. Then, around the millenium, the TV show 24 and several films did just that. And then Obama was elected. In some small way, perhaps the stories allowed people to think that it could be possible to vote for a black president. We need more stories which feature diverse heroes.

AP2HYC: There are stories out there that touch this subject with Robots and Humans, how is yours any different from the others?

Sam: I think that Artifical Intelligence cannot be programmed, but must emerge through a process of growing up. Therefore, my synths are fostered, and develop their own personalities. I haven’t yet seen another world where this is how it works, but then again, there’s nothing new under the sun.

However, I’m certain that this is the first story to show fostered synths set in the Welsh Valleys. If you know the area and the people, hopefully you’ll enjoy some of the little Welsh touches in the dialogue and behaviour.

AP2HYC: Do you have any other projects that you’re working on and if so, can you give us a teaser of they are about?

Sam: I’m in the middle of the huge amount of research required for my next story, Cryowulf. It’s based on Beowulf, and is set in a future dark age matriarchal society.

AP2HYC: Who would you recommend this comic to? Is there any specific crowd Silicon Heart is directed to?

Sam: Silicon Heart is for anyone who likes snappy dialogue, loveable heroes, cultural satire and Wales. Not necessarily in that order.

Be sure to check out his upcoming work along with Silicon Heart and donate to his Kickstarter! Let us know in the comments below what you think of his comic and be sure to follow AP2HYC and myself, Ruinth Romndragon on Facebook!

About the author

Kenny Yu

I do all things that entertain such as writing, reviewing, critiquing, streaming, photo shoots and video shoots. I also cosplay as well. Follow me on Facebook!