So I got my copy of "There Are No Flowers in the Real World" by David Lapham. It's A story set in the world of The Matrix. In a nutshell, NO NEO.
The main character wears shades and rides a motorcycle, but his name is Rocket. It's still a nifty story, with all those matrix-y things we love, and a bit of humor as well (when Rocket tries calling his Operator on the second page, he gets the answering machine...Bwah!).
I can't believe I couldn't talk anyone into spending Saturday morning riding around town going to comic stores with me. But even with the "one per customer" rule, I did manage to get three copies. One to read, one to send to my friend in the evil state of Utah where they apparently don't think of Matrix comics as a worthwhile endeavor, and one to keep ensconced in plastic forever. I promised the guys at the shops I would mention them, so big lemur smooches to Comic Oasis, Inc. and to Dreamwell Comics.
This is the first published Matrix comic, aside from that promotional one that they released and then recalled for content. I have a copy of that in plastic and I haven't even looked at it to see what was so objectionable. I mean, I'm doubting there's a whole homoerotic Epoch/Tank subplot so I can't even imagine what would even qualify.