Adventures of a System Admin #1 was written and created by Juan Espinosa with illustrations from El Santa and colors from Candela Grizutti. In it’s “spectacular” first issue we meet our main character, JJ Hernandez, or as our narrator calls him, Gordidon. The comic is a slice of life that looks into Gordidon’s decision to drop out of college and pursue his dream of becoming a system administrator.
Within the simple story in this first issue, we learn about Gordidon’s family life, his parents, and their background. We get this from their personalities, their interactions, and their histories within the full page bios spaced throughout the issue. Character bios are a small thing that can make a huge impact, at least in my opinion.
We also learn that Gordidon and his family are from the Dominican Republic and that he spent most of his life there. Currently, he lives at home with them because he left college. When you learn that Gordidon’s dad John has two jobs – as a lawyer and a law professor – you understand why he’s hard on his son. And adds more weight to his comment to his son upon hearing of his drop out: “Do you think your Bill Gates?”
When I read his interaction in Adventures of a System Admin #1 with his dad I laughed out loud, not only is it a great line but I can name so many times that my one of my parents rhetorically asked “You think you’re [insert famous person]” when I made a decision without talking with them. This line and the way we get insides into Gordidon’s thoughts and phone help the characters in this story feel real. By the end of this issue, they feel like people you would meet in your life.
The most real moment in this book though? It’s when you realize that after applying to 35 jobs over the course of a month, Gordidon still hasn’t gotten a job. He says, “companies like people with experience, they expect you to be born with experience,” before he throws his phone down. I felt that in my soul. However, after that Gordidon gets a job working for a company called E.L.Y. and it’s the adventures of a system admin after that.
There are some issues with the writing, in that in one area where Mr. Rodriguez, a character we meet at the end of the issue, refers to himself as a “high school teacher,” after he was earlier identified a “high school professor.” But this is just a small nitpick and something that I don’t think about when the visuals are so great.
The art style is all about thick lines and the images shown on computer screens and phones look pulled from real life. They balance each other and the vibrant colors from Grizutti highlight moments perfectly and the take on “light-dark” skin as noted in Gordidon’s bio is very well done. As someone with that skin-tone, I applaud colorists when they get it right because cosmetic companies rarely can.
At the end of Adventures of a System Admin #1 I wanted to pick up #2 and that is the strongest nod to the storytelling in the book. It ends on a cliffhanger and the way the characters are illustrated highlight the urgent situations with close-ups of Gordidon and his co-worker’s faces looking twisted and accented with thick panicked lines. If you’re looking for a slice of life to mix up caped crusader smashing up bad guys pick this up. It’s a simple story with lovable characters and beautiful art.
Adventures of a System Admin #1 is self-published and available now.
Adventures of a System Admin #1
TL;DR
At the end of Adventures of a System Admin #1 I wanted to pick up #2 and that is the strongest nod to the storytelling in the book. It ends on a cliffhanger and the way the characters are illustrated highlight the urgent situations with close-ups of Gordidon and his co-worker’s faces looking twisted and accented with thick panicked lines. If you’re looking for a slice of life to mix up caped crusader smashing up bad guys pick this up. It’s a simple story with lovable characters and beautiful art.
