This week on Collecting Issues, we’re talking about The One Hand and The Six Fingers—two five-issue series from Image Comics (2024) by Ram V, Dan Watters, Laurence Campbell, Sumit Kumar, Lee Loughridge, and Tom Muller.
Set in the gritty, retro-future city of Neo Novena, these stories unfold from two perspectives: a weary detective facing a familiar case on the eve of retirement, and a brilliant student who wakes up with memories of a murder. What starts as a ritual killing slowly unspools into something much stranger—where nothing is real, everything loops, and the world might just be a cage.
We’re talking:
If you like Blade Runner, The Matrix, Memento, or Dark City, this one’s worth your time. But seriously—read the comics before listening. It’s impossible to talk about them properly without giving things away.
Time Stamps:
00:00 Introduction to 'The One Hand and the Six Fingers'
01:13 Spoiler Alert: Read Before Listening
01:30 Engaging with the Audience
04:22 Plot Overview: The Future and Parallel Stories
05:00 Detective Ari Nasser's Last Case
05:49 Johannes Vale's Mysterious Journey
07:04 Creative Teams and Artistic Styles
08:08 The Noir Aesthetic and Setting
10:09 The Mystery Deepens
30:54 Existential Revelations and The Matrix
38:14 Literary Influences and Themes
40:01 Post-Capitalist Themes and Inspirations
40:42 Philosophy Bites and Post-Work Societies
42:17 The Sunset Limited and Philosophical Debates
43:05 Comic Book Collaboration and Glyph System
47:27 Art and Visuals in the Comic
59:20 Character Analysis and Stereotypes
01:04:18 Final Thoughts and Upcoming Reads
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