Kindle Price: $11.99

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Sign up and save an extra 10% on this book
Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Aleš Kot
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Surface Vol. 1 Kindle & comiXology

by Ales Kot (Author), Langdon Foss (Artist), Jordie Bellaire (Artist) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 13 ratings
See all formats and editions
A mind-bending SF action epic in the tradition of Philip K. Dick and INCAL now bound in a psychedelic collection -- ready to twist your strings!
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Part of Series
    The Surface
  2. Print length
    137 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    Not Enabled
  5. Publisher
    Image
  6. Publication date
    November 4, 2015
  7. File size
    606008 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Not Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Not Enabled
  11. See all details
Next page
  • Due to its large file size, this book may take longer to download
  • Read this book on comiXology. Learn more
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01789NWCS
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Image (November 4, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 4, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 606008 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Not enabled
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 137 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 13 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Aleš Kot

Aleš Kot

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Aleš Kot was born in 1986 and became a professional writer with the release of Wild Children, their first graphic novel, in 2012. His subsequent work in comics drew critical and commercial attention. Over the next seven years, they became a working screenwriter and a published author in many countries, but don’t ask him for specific numbers on that. They consider his best works in the comics and graphic novel field to be Wild Children, Change, Zero, Material, and Days of Hate.

Aleš Kot lives in Los Angeles, California.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
13 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Logan B.
5.0 out of 5 stars Mind-bending Perfection
Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2015
As a huge fan of Change, The Surface was a more than welcome surprise. Potentially my favorite series of 2015.
Helpful
 Report
Justin
3.0 out of 5 stars Self absorbed writer meets self sacrificing art and design team
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2016
Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed the look and setting of this book, a lot of set up was done in a short amount of time, just to waste it on an overly self aware ramblefest in which Ales kot admits he's underwhelmed with his body of work previous to this point, basically abusing the crap out of the Metafilter. I would have rather seen him just follow the story to its logical conclusion and i would have been satisfied with his remix/homage of all of my favorite science fiction/ grant Morrison tropes. The coloring is amazing.
I'm really just waiting for him to get back to writing material, it's much better for my money.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
J. Lee
3.0 out of 5 stars Change pt 2, now with more coherence
Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2016
Verified Purchase
Better than Change, but this is really a weirdly connected continuation of that story. They really should have been placed in one volume. I was not a fan of Change, but the story would improve some if The Surface was placed with it. The Surface has some good points, but it didn't quite go the distance for me. I wanted more from it, but it seemed like the story was really for Ales.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Wayne A McCoy
4.0 out of 5 stars Trippy and dreamlike, or nightmare like, with a cool artistic design vibe
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2016
Up to a point 'The Surface, Volume 1' just wasn't doing it for me. It came across as overly intellectualized to an extent. Then something happened, and it really caught my attention.

There's a lot of satirical content about our world extended out to a near future. People live blog their entire lives by constantly wearing cameras that film everything. A young trio are a kind of hacker in this new world and their explorations lead them to uncovering things about their world. Things that someone would kill for.

It's got a cyberpunk sort of feel to it and I loved the made up newsfeed and articles. There are other things I loved about the book, but I can't say what they are in this review. You'll just have to discover them for yourself.

I've been kind of hot and cold on the work of Ales Kot, but I liked this one. That doesn't mean I fully understand it, but I still liked it. The writing is interesting and so is the art and art design by a host of folks involved in these 4 issues. It's a strange trip reminiscent of Philip K. Dick.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Image Comics, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
Helpful
 Report
PaulAllard
3.0 out of 5 stars Intellectual look at a dystopian world
Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2015
The three main protagonists, Mark (the son of the President), Gomez and Nasia, in a not-too-distant future look for the Surface, a holographic world in Tanzania. Betrayed, they lead others to the Surface who want to use it for their own purposes.
There are various shifts of scene including the writer including himself in the plot. Maybe I don’t have the intellectual capacity or the patience for this but I found it all quite confusing.
The script is introspective, well-researched and wordy, the artwork reasonably good.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
J. Hamby
4.0 out of 5 stars I enjoyed this quite a bit
Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2016
I enjoyed this quite a bit. Graphic novels I am discovering have three levels of general interest for me.

1.the story and art match in tone
2. the story and art do not match in tone and can detract to varying degree from what I feel it is trying to achieve with me/the reader.
3.the story and art match in tone but play off each other so much in the negative that each enhances the flaws in the other. A perfect match made in hell I guess.

This definitely falls in the 1 category.

I felt the story had a good pace in narrative. Rather fast paced in fact but not jarring or too sudden to lose me. One thing I have noticed in these types of stories is that there always seems to be a strong element of nothing is what is appears. This can sometimes feel too contrived to the point of ruining the overall story. A story built around the twist and never really having enough strength to stand on its own. But here the surprises are well done and play into the sense of the grander story that seems organic and intended in part of the whole.
Helpful
 Report
Ian Wienert
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Art, Twist that could annoy
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2018
What starts off as a heady and strange read with big ideas about reality, history, and technology unfortunately veers in another direction.

The new direction isn't bad, but it clashes with what came before it, and feels jarring. But if you can roll with it, you will probably not mind its existence.

The art is clean and crisp, and the levelnof detail is spectacular. The artist really knocked it out of the park. The coloring helps, too. Bright beautiful colors, dark hues that don't hide the art. Lovely.
Verdict: strange story with a potentially annoying twist that is pure joy to look at.
Helpful
 Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report