IXth Generation #1

There is no greater limiting factor for comics then the page count. This makes the space highly valuable, even with a slightly longer run (26 vs 23 pages) using two of those pages to fill with expositional text is a big deal. Inelegant the page may be, it gets the point across. That in order to save humanity someone initiated the Aphrodite Protocol, fusing man with machine. To rule this new evolution of humanity 9 powerful beings, heirs, were created and put in deep freeze for 700 years. With their deep slumber done, they have awakened to rule a kingdom of ashes.

Obvious the page of setup text is, IXth Generation sets the mood perfectly with a quote from Arthur C. Clarke Childhood’s End “Utopia was here at last: its novelty had not yet assailed by the supreme enemy of all Utopias – boredom” . It hits on the idea that drew me to the book in the first place, what happens when immortal gods gets bored? After awakening to rule the world, the 9 Gods designed by Francesca Taylor aka the Chairwoman, soon grow bored and begin petty wars with each. Unable to die its one long stalemate but what else is there to do when ruling the ashes?

So, covers are kind of a big deal. Like classic pulp magazines, the cover generally has to explain or demonstrate the “story” of the issue in a single image. I often don’t really stop and look at them. I’ve got my list of books that auto download via Comixology and I just start reading. If I’d bothered to really look at the cover for IXth Generation, I would have realized that Aphrodite IX is wearing the Witchblade! But I didn’t, so the inclusion of the Witchblade, Blood Sword, The Darkness was rather surprising. It is also worth noting that I don’t really read any of the Top Cow universe books and am only tangentially familiar with them via their appearances in other media (The Darkness 2 is a surprisingly fun game). All of the Mcguffinry involving these Top Cow artifacts doesn’t hold any real significance for me and for this issue at least all that is necessary to recognize that these are objects of insane power that can fight The Darkness.

So, yeah, IXth Generation has a LOT going on and a lot of ground to cover, which writer Matt Hawkins and artist Stjepan Šejić mange to tread well enough. We don’t meet all 9 of IXth Generation cast but those we do (Aphrodite, Ares, Hades, and Hephaestus) are imbued with enough character via Sejic art that they work well enough. Sejic’s flat layered digital art works really well in the expansive ruined cityscap of Ares City. The art grows more amorphorus as it recedes into the background which nicely contrasts with the more detailed character models. Hawkins use of Aphrodite IX inner monologue to deliver exposition is obvious and the boxes are a bit large but with the plotting of issue 1, there really isn’t another way to get the information across to the reader.

Aphrodite IX dose raise some interesting but typical questions surrounding identity and authenticity in relations to her ever replicating family and servants in this war.

First issues are hard, IXth Generation #1 isn’t the best or worst first issue I”ve read. The in media res nature of the issue and use of other Top Cow iconography portends at a larger universe/significance that is lost on me at the moment. The explanation of their mother Francesca Taylor or is it her daughter Velocity is a bit confusing. As this weird fusion of the Top Cow universe, IXth Generation has me interested enough to see how this develops.

I am Michael Mazzacane and you can find on Twitter @MaZZM and at weekntv.com and comicweek.com