
Top Cow Productions 2017
Written by Paul Jenkins
Illustrated by Hendry Prasetya
Coloured by Jessica Kholinne
Lettered by Jaka Ady
As Seneca investigates an attack by the church on the digital alter-realm known as the Stream, his world is turned upside down by the emergence of the resistance—a group sworn to oppose the sinister Rulers and all they stand for. And when tragedy strikes, Seneca is forced to enter the wiretapped world of the Fates, who use predictive analytics to foresee his ultimate fate!
I am so wrapped up in this story already. I mean the level of storytelling here is utterly phenomenal to see unfold here. From Seneca’s upbringing, belief’s and the manipulation that seems to be going on around him from literally every angle is astonishing. I love how all of this is playing out before our eyes and the mystery surrounding what these supposed gods are supposed really only deepens here. This is the kind of thing that makes for a great anime series it has the future, the past, crazy characters, a huge mystery that winds around like vines up the side of a house and technology that you haven’t dreamt of.
I normally don’t get into this this early but I have to here. Henry and Jessica do some of the most amazing work here. I’m a fan of Hendry’s he’s got this amazing eye for detail in his work and that this has so much glass, or reflecting surfaces, gadgetry and the buildings and backgrounds that he utilises to their fullest here blows me away. His eye for storytelling as seen through the use of page layouts, angles and perspective show off how strong it is. Seriously I could go through the issue multiple times and never read the words because of how strong, vibrant and solid this work is.
So I have no idea what Paul has done but the fact that suddenly this feels like he found a secret formulae or drug or something that upped his writing game but I wish he’d share it. I’ve loved his work over the years but this feels like that ultimate masterpiece you hear about but rarely see. The pantheon of gods, the one true god, the coup and all these fringe things happening and all of them weaving their way through Seneca’s life without his control is crazy. His characterisation is such that its not hard to get into his head. We understand him through his own inner dialogue and how others see him and it’s enough that we have no trouble connecting with him.
The way this is structured so that the ebb & flow inevitably lead to the last page is done in ways that make this seem so much larger than it is. It’s like getting a double sized issue in the regular allotment of space. The flow of information just comes and goes and comes again in ways the don’t overload the senses or the mind and instead keep the reader captivated and motivated to keep learning and seeing more.
I will also say that the creativity and imagination on display here is sensational. Not just from the visual standpoint but from a purely creative one. The fates for instance how they appear before us and how they are seen in this completely new way is not only intriguing but makes you start too want to take a harder look at the gods themselves. Hermes believes that Seneca is a chosen one and he’s seen to it his siblings understand his position on it. The only thing I am waiting is how they all the different pieces fit together.
There is an insane amount of excellent work going on in these pages and that it feels so new, original and now is something you need to experience.