individuals are controlled by authority figures. Themes While previously the character Anarky had been described as an anarchist, both volumes were instead based on the philosophy of Neo-Tech, an offshoot of Objectivism. It is unique as the only mainstream comic book ever influenced by this philosophy. A recurring theme in the first volume included four scenes, at one page per issue, in which Anarky expounded philosophy to his pet dog, and indirectly for the reader, including explaining a bicameralism, the difference between Plato and Aristotle, the concept of economic "parasites", and how the elimination of irrationality would allow society to advance. In an interview, Alan Grant explained that in the original script, these monologues were titled "The History of Consciousness part 1 through 4", and that Norm Breyfogle designed the illustrations so that a single quarter of a Circle-A would act as a backdrop to each, which when placed together created a complete poster image. This theme was not utilized in the second volume, but story narration continued to allude to these concepts. Bicameralism and philosophy of the mind remained a topic of concern to Grant while writing the series, which Grant hoped could act as a vehicle for his thoughts on the origin of consciousness. The comparison between Plato and Aristotle had been used in two earlier stories which featured Anarky, although at the time the character was described as an anarchist. Several of the issues contained strong anti-war messages, including issue #6. Near the conclusion of the War and Peace storyline, a brief scene is shown in which Lonnie Machin uses the internet to hold an instant messaging session with the public in which he debates the need for war, arguing that money and time used on military research would be better spent on agriculture to solve the global overpopulation crisis. The series also introduced atheist leanings into the character's portrayal, coinciding with Grant's Neo-Tech philosophy. Political messages were also occasionally displayed in the backgrounds of scenes, as graffiti or fluttering newspapers displaying politically charged headlines which alluded to social problems, such as white collar crime and homelessness. For his part, Norm Breyfogle believed that his role in producing the comic was merely that of artist, and so felt that his contribution to the comic's themes were minimal. Of them he expressed: "The series was quite obviously subversive. But as an artist I was just drawing Alan's stories.