Today marks the 25th anniversary of The Matrix, and in honor of this milestone, we will revisit the 1993 comic that the Wachowskis refer to as the “Rosetta Stone”of their creation.
On March 31, 1999, The Matrix was released in theaters, marking a significant change in the world of movies. Despite coming from the creators of Bound, a sci-fi action film was not highly anticipated, as most of the year’s blockbuster buzz was focused on the return of Star Wars in The Phantom Menace.
The Matrix revolutionized the film industry with its groundbreaking use of special effects, impressive martial arts scenes, and references to philosophical concepts such as Plato’s allegory of the cave and Descartes’ ‘Evil Deceiver’ thought experiment.
The Matrix was also reflective of the spirit of the times, cautioning against the perils of technology during a time when computers were becoming ubiquitous in households and the Internet was gaining popularity. However, it has since been revealed that the concepts behind The Matrix were actually conceived several years earlier in a Marvel comic book.
Ectokid: The Key to Understanding The Matrix
In 1993, horror legend Clive Barker created Ectokid, a comic that was written by the Matrix creators Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski at different points throughout the nine issues.
During an interview at DePaul University, Lana described Ectokid as the key to all of their work. She emphasized that reading Ectokid is a truly eerie experience, as they recently revisited some issues and were amazed to find that all of their ideas were already present in the story. From The Matrix to Cloud Atlas, everything was already in Ectokid.
Starting from Issue 1, protagonist Dexter Mungo immediately expresses his confusion, stating, “It’s logical that nothing that has happened to me makes any sense at all. I mean, who or what are these guys chasing me? And why?”This sets the tone for the rest of the story.
At the beginning of The Matrix, Neo may have uttered those words while being chased by Mr. Smith and his followers. The reasons for their pursuit remain unknown until Neo chooses to take the Red Pill.
Despite their differences, the main similarity between the characters in both stories remains that they are both faced with the realization that their world is not what it seems. While Neo is a hacker in his thirties and Dex is a teenage child of a ghost, they both undergo a transformation and are unable to return to their previous lives once they awaken from their slumber.
In The Matrix, Neo discovers that his reality is a product of computer simulation and that machines are utilizing human bodies for power. Similarly, in Ectokid, Dex uncovers the existence of the Ectoverse, a neighboring dimension inhabited by creatures of ancient myths and legends.
During an interview with Marvel Age at the time, Clive Barker described the inspiration for that tale, and his words could also be applied to Neo: “Ectokid… is a story that is still alive to me, a dream for the 15-year-old in all of us – the story of a teenager who exists in two realms and has the ability to enter a completely different reality.”
Issue 1 of Ectokid, from September 1993.
Lana Wachowski, alongside her uncredited sister Lilly Wachowski, wrote Issues 4-9 of Ectokid, delving into concepts that would later become fundamental to The Matrix. However, the comic also had a significant influence on their film in another significant manner.
Steve Skroce, the penciller of Ectokid, was brought on by the Wachowskis to work on The Matrix several years after his initial collaboration with them. His storyboards for the movie convinced Warner Bros to give it the green light, and he went on to create the visual blueprints for the two sequels that followed. Ectokid played a crucial role in shaping every aspect of The Matrix, including its story, themes, and visuals. This is why the Wachowskis consider the nine issues of Ectokid to be essential building blocks and the movie’s Rosetta Stone.
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