Director Bong Joon Ho returns to science fiction withMickey 17, and the Robert Pattinson-led film has already hit a major box office milestone, soon expected to surpass $30 million. This isn’t Bong’s first venture into futuristic sci-fi—his acclaimed filmSnowpiercer, starring Chris Evans, also explored similar themes. Both films serve as sharp critiques of capitalism, using their futuristic settings to highlight class divisions, a hallmark of many great sci-fi stories.
This commentary on the critiques of capitalism carries over to other media, including comic books, especially independent and creator-owned comics.Eat the Richby Sarah Gaileyand Pius Bak is perhaps the most self-explanatory example of this, as the plot is about a woman meeting her boyfriend’s extremely well-off family, who are cannibals with a taste for their staff.
Author Sarah Gailey delivers another anti-capitalist sci-fi story withKnow Your Station, a comic that shares thematic similarities withMickey 17. If this gripping tale ever makes it to the big screen, Bong Joon Ho would be the perfect director to bring its vision to life.
Know Your Station&Mickey 17:Sci-Fi Stories of Class Struggle in Space
How Both Tales Explore the Divide Between the Wealthy and the Desperate
By Sarah Gailey and Liana Kangas,Know Your Stationsees the wealthiest of the wealthy flee Earth for a new life in space, abandoning everyone poorer than them to suffer the consequences of climate change. However, a few working-class individuals can join this expedition if they work under the 1%.This setting is akin toMickey 17’s. InMickey 17,Mark Ruffalo’s villain–a failed politician with a God-complex–takes his devoted followers, as well as those desperate enough to get off a dying Earth, to an uncharted planet, putting their lives on the line for his safety, comfort, and ego.
10 Ways Mickey 17 Is So Much Better Than The Book
Bong Joon-ho’s Mickey 17 makes several changes from Edward Ashton’s novel Mickey7, but a number of these actually serve to enhance the film.
Where the two stories diverge plot-wise is in terms of the main characters. InMickey 17, the film follows the titular character, who is an expendable–a person who takes on the most dangerous, deadliest jobs on the ship because he’s signed off on having a clone of himself made every time he dies. Meanwhile,Know Your Stationsees Elise, one of the employees of the spaceship, investigate the murder of a billionaire as well as the conspiracy connected to it.
Know Your Station&Mickey 17:Sci-Fi Thrillers That Challenge Power and Identity
The Exploration of Class Struggles, AI, and the Nature of the Soul
Know Your Stationis a sci-fi detective thriller, making itthe perfect comic forBlade Runnerfans, as well as fans of Bong Joon Ho’s recent movie. Along with that,Know Your StationandMickey 17emphasize how the working-class characters have a lot more power than the 1% lead them to believewhile also condemning the entitled, exploitative behavior of the 1%, emphasizing how they would be nothing without those they walk over and use.
Know Your Stationalso tackles themes of humanity and the soul, specifically with regard to the ship’s AI. Having come out in 2022,Know Your Stationwas incredibly timely with its biting commentary on AI. Meanwhile,Mickey 17askswhat makes someone an individual if they can be copied and printed out.While handled in drastically different ways, both sci-fi stories explore similar philosophical questions. Given this, as well as how much fun Bong Joon Ho has had withMickey 17,Know Your Stationis a comic made for him, and it’s not like he hasn’t adapted this medium before.
Bong Joon Ho’sSnowpiercerProves He’s the Perfect Director forKnow Your Station
How His Sci-Fi Masterpieces Make Him the Ideal Choice for This Anti-Capitalist Thriller
BeforeBong Joon Ho’s filmsMickey 17,Okja, andParasite, he directed an adaptation of the French graphic novelSnowpiercerby Jacques Lob and Jean-March Rochette. LikeMickey 17andKnow Your Station,this is a story that does not hold back in regard to its class commentary.In it, the survivors of a second ice age reside on an ever-moving train, with the poorest citizens forced to live in squalor while the wealthy travel first class. That all changes, though, when the poorest residents decide to rebel and take the train back for themselves.
I Can’t Imagine What Mickey 17’s Alternate Cut Is Like, But It Makes Me Appreciate Bong Joon-ho’s Movie Even More
Mickey 17 is even more of a triumph after Warner Bros. reportedly made an alternate cut of the film to release instead of Bong Joon-ho’s cut.
As one ofChris Evan’s best films,Snowpierceris a phenomenal post-apocalyptic thriller that highlights how a system built on exploitation is far more fragile than those in power would like to believe. This alone proves that Bong Joon Ho would be the perfect director for aKnow Your Stationadaptation—withMickey 17only reinforcing that point. IfKnow Your Stationever makes it to the big screen, it belongs in Bong Joon Ho’s hands. And if that never happens, fans should still consider checking out this epic,Mickey 17-esque comic series.
