I happened to come across the futuristic web series, Aidan 5, recently, and was fortunate enough to check out the first episode. The series focuses on Detective Aidan, who is trying to uncover the mystery behind the murders of his clones. Nine episodes have been released to date and new episodes will start airing here in September. Using live actors with drawn backgrounds, Aidan 5 creates an interesting live-action comic book feel. Having only seen the first episode, I can’t really say much about it, other than that I enjoyed it and am very intrigued by the premise; however, I have a feeling that it will raise some interesting questions, particularly surrounding the moral and political compass of cloning. Here is what the official website has to say about the series:
“Produced locally in the heart of Columbus, Ohio and based on the award-winning 48-hr film festival short, AIDAN 5 is a no-budget, sci-fi web series made solely with an all-volunteer cast & crew under pressured time restrictions. The goal: to create an ambitious series with creativity and determination as the only resources.
Set in a futuristic city, AIDAN 5 chronicles the journey of one detective who must unravel the mystery behind the serial killings of his own clones. This 15-episode living comic book is told through a unique style of filmmaking and sketched art.
We are now releasing new episodes every other Friday. Check out our Episodes page, share us with your friends and register your email to receive news, updates, and special offers as the story progresses.
We hope you enjoy the show!”
The episodes, from what I can tell, are fairly short; so, if you are at all interested and end up enjoying the series, it shouldn’t be too much of a time commitment. But those of you who may be strapped for cash after a busy summer like myself, this is a perfect way to indulge in your sci-fi needs without paying a dime. You can find all of the current episodes at aidan5.com but here is a youtube link for episode one: “The Rooftop”
Pretty intriguing stuff. Very visually arresting — I wonder if the drawn backgrounds, besides being a very clever budget-saver, serve some thematic purpose? It’s as though it suggests that only the personal interactions are what’s real… and yet most of Aidan’s interactions (at least in this episode) are with himself! Well, cloned versions of himself. Are these clones fully developed invididuals, or is the detective simply living and working in one big “echo chamber”? I’ll try to make time to follow this. Thanks for pointing it out to us.