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“God Complex” #1

By | October 12th, 2017
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An intriguing, noirish take on a futuristic world of gods very literally in the machine, and one detective drawn into the heart of a murder mystery that threatens it all. Read on for our review of “God Complex” #1, which contains minor spoilers

Cover by Isuardi Therianto

Written by Paul Jenkins
Illustrated by Hendry Prasetya
Colored by Jessica Kholinne
Lettered by Jaka Ady
Created by Bryan Lie

In the futuristic city of Delphi, a young digital-forensics investigator named Seneca finds himself embroiled in the bizarre murders of three church acolytes. Guided by his cryptic mentor, the Ruler named Hermes, Seneca uncovers a stunning conspiracy and a mystery that will turn his entire world upside down. From writer PAUL JENKINS (Inhumans, Wolverine: Origin) and artist HENDRY PRASETYA (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers) comes a unique vision of a digital future powered by mythological gods.

It’s unusual to find a comic book based on a toy line to be so, well, complex, and yet that’s exactly what “God Complex” #1 is. Toy manufacturer Glitch has been producing figures of gods from all manner of religions since 2012, with a style that mixes futuristic cyberpunk with high-end fashion. “God Complex: Dogma” is the first in what is anticipated to be many comics series that explore the backstory of these creations.

Not that any of that is especially relevant when reading the issue, and what’s more: it’s not at all noticeable. With books like “Transformers,” no matter how great the comics get (and they are pretty amazing,) there’s no hiding its roots in advertisements for toys. Here though, “God Complex” sees writer Paul Jenkins explore themes such as man versus the machine, man versus God (or gods,) science versus religion, and the struggle to maintain faith in a higher power in the wake of a world where information is power.

The issue follows Seneca, a detective in the futuristic city of Delphi, as he investigates the murder of three acolytes of the Church of the Trinity. Pretty soon he’s taken under the wing of his mentor Hermes – one of the mysterious “Rulers,” god-like techno beings that can tap into the digital fabric of our society and the two of them embark on a journey that lays the groundwork for a deeper conspiracy, leading Seneca down a rabbit hole of existential discovery. Throughout the issue, Seneca is plagued by dialogue boxes that speak directly to him, rather than either at the reader or in the third person. This is commented on by Hermes later on the issue, but it, like so many things so far, is not yet explained.

Presumably, one is led to think that this voice is the fated Oracle of Delphi, or that it’s a sign that Seneca himself is that Oracle. “God Complex” utilizes Greek mythological terms, place names and characters, but so far doesn’t explain why they are being used, or particularly justify that usage beyond a simple narrative decision. Those decisions will most likely play out in time, but here the allusion that these “Rulers” are the modern-day gods of this sci-fi world is supported by giving them the names of the Greek Pantheon: Hermes is front and center, but Apollo and Zeus are also referenced. It’s also clear that in a future so dominated by information, it would make sense that those who control, oversee and can easily navigate that information would be considered as gods among men.

It’s not unfamiliar for Greek gods to walk among mortals, such as in the epic poems of Homer, and Delphi was a pivotal place in such myths: it was the home of the aforementioned Oracle, as well as being considered the center of the known world. The Church of the Trinity is referenced as being a place that believed in only one God, which makes this a reference to the Christian faith, and explains why they’re disregarded as “fanatics,” seeing as they maintain faith in an unseen higher power, rather than worship the new, fashionable techno-pantheon. There’s a connection between the and the deeper conspiracy that looks to undermine the “Rulers,” but whether that turns out to be a red-herring or not remains to be seen.

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Artist Hendry Prasetya manages to capture the noirish elements of the issue well, with the opening page being a particular highlight. Behind a full-length image of Seneca is a vertigo-inducing shot leading the reader down the side of a tall apartment building to the rain-soaked crime scene below. It feels like the opening of “Watchmen” but in reverse; the image split into three widescreen panels to lead the viewer down rather than Dave Gibbons leading us up to the Comedian’s blood-stained window. From there, Prasetya plays with page structure in a way that feels natural for the story, allowing the bigger moments to breathe while tightening up the faster-paced scenes. When Hermes “enters the Stream” – i.e. when he accesses the accumulated digital representation of all human knowledge – the use of color and scale is done in a way that effectively conveys the grand scope of what he is attempting to show Seneca.

It’s unclear how much of the design of the “Rulers” is lifted from the Glitch Toyline and what is created purely for “God Complex,” but either way, their look is fairly unique. We mainly see Hermes in this issue, and his sharp tailored grey suit and confident demeanor are accompanied with a helmet that fully encloses his head, adorned with what looks like golden wings – appropriate for the swift-footed messenger of the gods. The rest of this universe is consciously drab in comparison to Hermes and the Stream, perhaps in a subconscious nod to Seneca’s own withdrawal from life, and his curiosity about this new world he’s discovering.

“God Complex” #1 uses terminology lifted directly from Greek mythology to create a world where information is power, and the controllers of that information are like gods among men. While that analogy could easily be attributed to religion in our own society, here it’s taken to a literal sci-fi extreme, by having the godlike “Rulers” access to the unseen Stream of all human knowledge. This oversized first issue delves into a lot of concepts and crafts a rich world, and while it almost assumes a prior understanding of the universe it’s creating, there’s enough in the way of a core mystery to keep you coming back for issue 2.

Final Verdict: 7.4 – Heavy on the exposition, but the start of a fascinating new world.


Matt Lune

Born and raised in Birmingham, England, when Matt's not reading comics he's writing about them and hosting podcasts about them. From reading The Beano and The Dandy as a child, he first discovered American comics with Marvel's Heroes Reborn and, despite that questionable start, still fell in love and has never looked back. You can find him on Twitter @MattLune

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