Land of the Living Gods 1 featured Reviews 

“Land of the Living Gods” #1

By | February 11th, 2022
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

South Africa is a fascinating country with a lot of potential, and a lot of problems. While it was able to gain its independence from the British, it still had to deal with the brutal apartheid government which they didn’t get rid of until 1994. Unfortunately, the legacy of apartheid still remains to this day and South Africa has had to deal with crippling income inequality, racial tensions, horrific violence, and systemic corruption at every level of government.

However, it is also one of the most ethnically diverse countries on the face of the planet, and is a country filled with all sorts of wonderful stories and hope for the future.

Let’s take a look at one of these stories in “Land of the Living Gods” #1

Cover by: Santtos
Written by Isaac Mogajane
Illustrated and colored by Santtos
Lettered by Dave Sharpe

It is said that when the world dies, the spirits of the first people will return to witness the last days of humanity. Well, the spirits have arrived, and the end is here. But not everyone has given up hope.

Naledi, a teenage girl living in the deserted city once called Johannesburg, has always believed that there is a land, hidden away in time where the gods still live. And where there are gods, there are miracles. Perhaps even miracles that are big enough to save our dying planet. And so, after a lifetime of isolation, Naledi will head out into the unknown with little to hold onto but her faith – and her magical pet plant, Buyo.

A fairy tale for the times in which we find ourselves, brought to life by South African writer and producer Isaac Mogajane (Matwetwe, Catching Feelings) and Brazilian artist Santtos (Night Shift), LAND OF THE LIVING GODS will introduce you to a world of wonder and cruelty, beauty and perseverance – and will leave you profoundly changed.

“Land of the Living Gods” #1 is a post-apocalyptic science fiction story that should be very familiar to anyone who has either seen films like Star Wars or has spent any amount of time learning about the Hero’s Journey, which was popularized by Joseph Campbell in the 1950’s and 60’s. The main character Naledi is an albino child wandering the streets of a desolate Johannesburg, South Africa scrounging for parts and food while dodging scavengers and criminals in an attempt to take care of her dying mother. However, it seems that Naledi’s mother has some sort of connection with mysterious living gods that she only remembers in her nightmares, and there is a shaman figure named Malusi who claims that Naledi must journey to find these gods and claim her destiny.

“Land of the Living Gods” #1 is written by Isaac Mogajane and while the comparisons to Star Wars are present, he does a very good job of crafting a unique story with wonderful characters and a very interesting take on the very familiar genre of post apocalyptic science fiction. Mogajane introduces the reader to Johannesburg in the year 3119 and he does not sugarcoat anything for the reader. His vision of Johannesburg is a burned out husk of a city where the remaining population uses cobbled together tech to live in ruined houses while dodging violent and ruthless gangs. However, while there is the usual post apocalyptic squalor and functional technology, there are still plenty of details that make “Land of the Living Gods” #1 unique and especially South African. Magic exists in this world as seen with Naledi’s magical plant friend Buyo, and ancestor worship is common and incredibly important. On top of that, Mogajane has his characters speak English for most of the book, he peppers in a few words from other South African languages such as Zulu, Xhosa, and Sotho which serves as a fun and subtle bit of world building.

While world building is great, a good story needs good characters. Since “Land of the Living Gods” #1 is mostly set up for a broader story, it’s primary goal is to ingratiate the main character of Naledi to the audience. Fortunately, Naledi is a great character for an audience to follow and root for. While Mogajane takes time to show that Naledi is a kind, generous, and spiritually devout person, he takes care to not make her too perfect and uses the story to show moments where she is either doubtful of her purpose or dangerously optimistic and naive in some places. She is a sweet, engaging, and lovely person and it will be interesting to see how she develops in future issues.

Continued below

If “Land of the Living Gods” #1 has any problems, it’s the stuff that the comic doesn’t include. While the comparisons to Star Wars are a good thing, it’s worth remembering that Star Wars took the time to have a massive exposition dump at the beginning to let the audience know enough about the world to figure out what was going on in the big picture. While modern storytelling has mostly chosen to get rid of exposition dumps, it’s something that is missed in “Land of the Living Gods” #1. It’s not a big problem, and it’s more of a broader critique of modern stories, but a few maps or a page explaining what’s happened would make the comic just a little bit better.

The artwork for “Land of the Living Gods” #1 is provided by a Brazilian artist named Santtos and it helps elevate the story and the setting from something unique to truly special. The artwork focuses on the characters, where Santtos uses thin lines and minimal designs on the facial features that aren’t wholly Western and aren’t blatantly influenced by anime. With this kind of minimalism, the reader is forced to focus on the few things that the art does include, which allows the art to tell a lot of story with a few facial expressions and the character’s eyes.

Since Santtos spends a lot of time focusing on the characters, it doesn’t leave a whole lot of time for the tech, costumes, and environment. While Santtos does take the time to show the reader the squalor of Johannesburg and the everyday technology the characters use, it does fall prey to the minimalist style of the artist. However, Santtos seems to understand the limitations of the artwork and makes up for it with a gorgeous color palette of rich and dusty colors that enhance the artwork and the story.

“Land of the Living Gods” #1 is a wonderful story that takes the unique diversity of South Africa and turns it into a comic book that shows how unique, diverse, and fascinating the medium can be.

Final Verdict: 8.9- It’s a solid start to the hero’s journey with a lovable character, fantastic world building, and breathtaking artwork.


Matthew Blair

Matthew Blair hails from Portland, Oregon by way of Attleboro, Massachusetts. He loves everything comic related, and will talk about it for hours if asked. He also writes a web comic about a family of super villains which can be found here: https://tapas.io/series/The-Secret-Lives-of-Villains

EMAIL | ARTICLES