Two intelligent robots, Carbone and Silicium, navigate a deteriorating world over centuries, exploring themes of identity, societal collapse, and the essence of humanity. Through their divergent paths, they grapple with existential questions and the evolving relationship between artificial intelligence and human society.

Mathieu Bablet's sweeping graphic novel "Carbone & Silicium" is a profound, philosophical, and visually stunning work of science fiction. Set in a dystopian future, the story follows two sentient androids, the titular Carbone and Silicium, across centuries as they bear witness to an increasingly devastated Earth and struggle to find meaning, connection, and their place in a world shaped by the failures of humanity.

The scope of Bablet's vision is breathtaking, both in terms of the epic timeline that spans hundreds of years and the intimate emotional journey of his robotic protagonists. Carbone and Silicium, despite their artificial origins, are complex and relatable characters, yearning for purpose, grappling with existential questions, and developing a poignant bond with each other even as their individual paths diverge. Their ruminations on humanity, technology, inequality, environmental destruction, and the cyclical nature of civilizational collapse are thought-provoking and unsettlingly plausible.

One of the great strengths of the book is how it uses the perspective of its android leads to cast an unflinching eye on the darker aspects of human nature and our potential future. Issues like the commodification of care and empathy, the casual disregard for rights of sentient artificial beings, wealth disparity, and the myopic selfishness that leads us to ruin our planet are all explored with nuance and honesty. There is a melancholy that permeates the story, but also an undercurrent of hope in the endurance of Carbone and Silicium's connection and in the moments of beauty they witness.

Bablet's artwork is absolutely phenomenal throughout. The detailed backgrounds immerse you in each new setting and era, from high-tech labs to crumbling cities to desolate wastelands. The use of color is striking and atmospheric, evoking the appropriate mood for each scene. And while the human characters sometimes have a slightly exaggerated, angular look, the designs for Carbone, Silicium, and the other androids are expressive and memorable. Some of the most powerful sequences are dialogue-free, telling the story purely through images.

"Carbone & Silicium" is a work of great depth and ambition, one that will linger in your mind long after you finish reading it. It's the kind of science fiction that illustrates how the genre can imaginatively explore real-world issues and fundamental questions of existence and morality. Bablet has crafted a haunting world and populated it with unforgettable characters. This is a must-read for any fan of comics and thought-provoking, philosophical science fiction. In our age of rapid technological change and impending climate catastrophe, its themes feel urgently relevant and deserving of contemplation and discussion.