Infinite Vacation #1 is an odd offering from rising star Nick
Spencer. In this
story, parallel universes are commonplace. One can travel between an
infinite number of alternate realities simply through the usage of a
free downloadable smart phone app. An economy has arisen from this. One
buys and sells alternate lives from and to oneself. For instance, if in
one parallel universe you are a successful stock trader, at the click of
a button and for a fee you can buy your way into that reality until you
wish to buy or trade yet another life. The concept is complex but
writer Nick Spencer presents it in such a way as to make it very
accessible and compelling.

This particular issue deals with Mark feeling blasé with reality
trading, his depression and lack of purpose. He handles these concerns
by visiting multiple realities hoping to find answers from different
versions of himself. He consults a Mark who is a disinterested
psychotherapist, a surfer dude and some sort of “en masse” counseling
center specifically servicing the many variations of his person. The latter being the infinite vacation’s customer service desk.

(MILD SPOILER AHEAD) In one of the more noteworthy scenes Mark
attempts and fails to pick up a cute “deadender” chick – deadenders are
the 3% of the world population who do not swap lives for various
reasons. The girl aggressively confronts Mark about his reliance on
escapism. This is where the themes become more apparent.
Over-accessibility, contentment, escape – these things deeply affect
how people interact with one another and how we live our lives.

By the story’s end Mark encounters a version of himself who is not
friendly but may hold answers as to why he has been dying in multiple
realities with inordinate frequency. This event thrusts us forward into
the plot. The fact that the book ends with this game-changing scene
makes it virtually impossible to know in which direction it’s going. So
essentially we were introduced to some interesting concepts but this one
issue did not delve as deep into those as I might have expected. I
think this story needed two full issues to open the story, simply
because the subject matter is so hefty. I am however sufficiently
intrigued by the setting  and it’s potential. I’m certainly going to
pick up Infinite Vacation #2.

The art is reminiscent of late 60’s to early seventies poster art, but more contemporary in execution. Christian Powell uses a combination of digital
collage, innovative coloring style to create a vaguely hallucinogenic
feel to the book. That’s not to say that the visuals are always full on
trippy. When scenes require a more sedate approach the art adjusts to
match the tone. In fact one of the scenes is an actual ad for the
reality hopping smart phone app. That scene is completely constructed
from actual photographs, as if it were a legitimate promotion contained
within the book. There are a few interesting lettering techniques I
enjoyed. When there is an outburst in a café, the bystanders have
exclamation points over their head. It’s an effective and clever
storytelling device. Ultimately, I’d say the art slightly outshines the
script in most places.

Honestly, my review probably makes this comic book seem more opaque
than it really is. So if you’re looking to try something distinct I
suggest picking up Infinite Vacation #1 to see if it’s for you. It
probably is.