The original volumes · various eras, from the start of the war with the machines to the days of The Matrix
The Matrix Comics Vol. 1
12 short stories set in the world of The Matrix, by the Wachowskis, Neil Gaiman, Dave Gibbons and more; collects the first batch of the official website comics
Pages160 pagesWhere to buyAmazonIn your readingnot read yet
There's no single plot: it is 12 standalone short stories. It opens with Bits and Pieces of Information, by the Wachowskis with art by Geof Darrow: the trial of the robot B1-66ER, who killed its owner to avoid being shut down, an early step toward the war with the machines. Then come stories about people trapped in the Matrix or trying to get out. In Bill Sienkiewicz's Sweating the Small Stuff, Dez starts seeing the code and runs off with his girlfriend. In Neil Gaiman's prose story Goliath, a man is pulled out of the Matrix for a one-way mission and, as his last wish, asks to go back in. In Dave Gibbons's Butterfly, an Agent chase crashes into the home of a man meditating, and he dies.
No spoilersOpens once you mark the title as seen.
5 trivia
Trivia
Behind the scenesFree comics online
Before becoming a book, these stories ran for free on the official Matrix website starting in 1999. Years later, the Wachowskis' own publisher, Burlyman, collected them in print.
Bits and Pieces of Information, written by the Wachowskis, shows the trial of the robot B1-66ER. It became the basis for The Animatrix's The Second Renaissance, which goes beyond where the comic ends.
Bits and Pieces artist Geof Darrow was a concept artist on all three films of the original trilogy. The story's title comes from Morpheus's speech about artificial intelligence.
Warner asked Neil Gaiman to write Goliath for the film's website. He started in February 1999, and the story went live on March 31, the film's release day. It later appeared in his collection Fragile Things.
In Butterfly, Dave Gibbons cuts between an Agent chase and a man meditating until the two scenes collide. The idea comes from Chuang Tzu's parable of dreaming he was a butterfly and no longer knowing what's real.
No spoilersThe easter eggs give away parts of the title. They open once you mark it as seen.
Original text by Sagaspedia. Posters: The Movie Database (TMDB); character photos via Wikipedia. This site uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB. All trademarks and titles mentioned belong to their respective owners. Streaming availability may change.
