Oh I liked this issue. Some of the shit hit the fan, but we were thrown for a loop so expect more in the next issue. It’s definitely going to be good as the inevitable war moves even closer. Also that cover has nothing to do with this issue… why don’t I care? I know because it’s awesome looking! Anyways let’s get going on this bad ass issue. Well the gig is up for Aphrodite IX. Not only does she know about her blackouts, but she’s aware that she’s somehow responsible for Lina’s death even if she doesn’t remember doing it the evidence points to her. As Marcus mourns his dead lover, his friend T’Mark arrives. He informs him that he smelled traces of Aphrodite at or around all of the crime scenes and on the bodies. They begin a manhunt for Aphrodite who is still in Genesis, but is in stealth mode. Upon hearing about her scent her programing begins masking her odor.
At our other civilization we tune into Aphrodite’s disgusting handler who finds it quite amusing that she’s following Marcus around undetected. Also we learn that Aphrodite has been sending a frequency to their base that has essentially mapped out Genesis and highlighted weak points in the structure for them to attack. They begin gearing up for war as all of their plans have come to fruition, but there is still one more task for Aphrodite… kill Marcus.
This was a good issue for a couple of reasons. Aphrodite’s narrative remains as strong as it did in previous issues, but this time we’re not seeing her fighting with herself as much. She mentions that it’s still occurring, but we’re not rammed with counter narration as much. The coolest aspect of this issue for me was T’Mark. Sure his character was kind of convenient to the story, but there was something cool about his addition. Though he was convenient I think he was needed and I liked his CSI skills. Also I have to agree with the evil handler that Aphrodite running around following Marcus in stealth was pretty damn cool.
The art is its usual fantastic self. Sejic is a great fit for this series and because it’s set in the future it gives him the chance to be very creative. His dog creations are very realistic looking, especially the teeth. Also again I go to T’Mark. He has a cool design and you can see that he’s evolved differently than most of the other inhabitants from Genesis. Sejic’s not the most incredible visual storyteller, but he’s definitely improving. The scene with Aphrodite being taken over by her handler were some of his best on the series thus far.
I like Top Cow’s new formula of producing quality titles consistently. It’s something they’ve been struggling to do, but with titles like this and their other core series, they’re coming around quickly. If you haven’t checked out this series it really is worth the time. It’s beautiful to look at and entertaining from start to finish. It also has real heart to its story and that’s a huge change from previous installments of this franchise.
Score: 4/5
Writer: Matt Hawkins
Artist: Stjepan Sejic
Publisher: Top Cow and Image Comics
Price: $2.99
Release Date: 8/21/13