Red Light #2 from AWA Studios released on December 20th, 2023, and I couldn’t wait to continue Lacy and Natalie’s story. In the first issue, we meet Lacy, an AI generated sex worker, who was given empathy but is forced to work for Mister, never seeing the outside world.
In this second issue, Lacy is more determined than ever to escape, taking 12 year old Natalie with her. To do this, Lacy needs some help. She turns to two men in her life that she calculates would have the best probability of helping her. I thought these small nuances helped to remind us that while Lacy may have emotions, she is an AI.
First, Mars is a longtime client of Lacy’s and a notorious arms dealer. She notices that he can be more relaxed in her presence and even previously asked Mister, aka Adam, if he could buy Lacy for himself. Mister refused, but Lacy hoped that Mars’ feelings for her would allow him to be an accomplice.
Next she pulls in Benson, the man who patches her up when needed. He helps to remove Lacy’s kill switch, so she isn’t in danger when she escapes. Now, all that is left is to get Natalie and leave once Mars’ men stage a robbery. I was shocked that Lacy and Natalie were able to escape already. Now what? I’m not sure if Lacy knows. Is she expecting Mars to help now that they’re out?
Two issues left of Red Light, and this story really makes you think. It makes you wonder how much your empathy stretches for Lacy. She’s an AI, but she can feel. Does that make her more human?
At the end of the second issue, Mister is asking to bring someone in to help track down his property. We’ve established that Natalie is human, but does Mister still treat her like property too? This comic will keep coming back to a set of questions for me: Should Lacy be allowed to be free and have a human life? Would that mean that she should have rights? Should she be able to be a productive member of society in whatever way she chooses? I’m curious to see how this series continues, and I think Sarah H. Cho has done a fantastic job telling a very intriguing story.