Published By: Top Cow Productions Inc.
Created By: Bryan Lie
Written By: Paul Jenkins
Illustrated By: Hendry Prasetya, Sunny Gho
Price: $3.99

God Complex continues its darkly charming subversion of classic mythology with relentlessly sharp efficacy. This unfurling tale is about the gods, yes, but every story about powerful gods is secretly an innocent diatribe on the human life the god has been tasked with tending to. The human in this equation is a man named Seneca, who is so damaged from a brutal assault in the last issue that he’s not even capable of trying to hold onto his life anymore. It is the gods, from within their special hyper-informational energy flow called the “Stream,” who precariously hold the thread of his life in their bare palms. Within the Stream, Seneca watches in ethereal fascination as the gods try desperately to keep his life from expiring back on the flesh and blood reality of the mortal world.

He watches them try…
And fail.
His life is slipping away.

The only thing that can save Seneca at this point is some sort of boon, a miracle, a gift of unusual proportion from the gods themselves. And here is where the subversion kicks back in to overdrive.

What if Seneca didn’t want this extraordinary gift from the gods? The higher powers and greater forces are always regaled for their divine wisdom in selecting a chosen one to act as their avatar and achieve incredible feats. But what if one wanted a great life, but through ordinary means? What if one desired a memorable and moving death, but untouched by supernatural circumstances? The question of avoiding death is always a no brainer- but what if it isn’t.

Visually, this story continues to enchant and entrap, reeling your senses in through the subtle play between opposing color schemes. The brilliant, magical feeling world of the Stream gives way tenuously to the muted grays and blacks of ordinary gritty life. The sterile brightness of the hospital room yields to the touch of infinite night contained within the ECG monitor. In particular, my favorite sequences were of the gods and goddesses themselves as they attempt to use their formidable abilities to save Seneca’s life. They looked like… constellations. Hollowed out and vibrant, yet somehow taut with a fullness that meticulously plucked fondly upon my heartstrings. It was quite riveting.

This story is one of the best things happening in comics right now and I’m so excited for issue five, because we all know- whether it’s accepted or not- there is one thing on the other side of every gift.

Vengeance.

5 Trinities out of 5