Self/Made #3 - Image Comics

SELF/MADE #3, February 2019

Whether intentional or not, there arguably appears to be a tangible “Tron” (or perhaps “Ready Player One”) vibe to Mat Groom’s narrative for Issue Three of "Self/Made". True, the twenty-two page periodical’s storyline understandably lacks any specific references to the Master Control Programme, light cycles and recognizers of Steven Lisberger’s 1982 American science fiction action-adventure film, but the similarities between the Australian author’s self-aware computer character battling alongside their creator against an all-powerful evil regime deep within a digital world and the critically well-received “Disney” movie is fairly evident.

Mercifully however, that doesn’t mean for a moment that the Sydney storyteller’s “solo comics writing debut” isn’t able to contain plenty of innovative entertainment in its own right, as “The Sport Of Ghost Kings” provides a genuinely compelling reading experience which manages to capture the attention right from the ‘get-go’ and doesn’t stop carrying its audience along even after Rebecca has successfully outwitted her green-glowing pursuer by returning to the somewhat sedentary real world. Indeed, anyone expecting this publication’s plot to provide a happy conclusion following a partially-defeated Amala’s successful self-detonation whilst gasping out her last inside Prince Brycemere’s throne room is in for a seriously nasty surprise; “Yeah, I’m gonna stop you right there…You’re a crazy goddamned Doctor Frankenstein lady and you’ve made something which genuinely seems to be alive…”

Of course, this comic’s biggest debatable draw is the fact that for its opening two-thirds it depicts an incredibly dynamic battle through some sort of futuristic underhive between a seriously gun-toting scientist and a veritable horde of ghastly ghost-like, cybernetically-enhanced Undead. This fracas is pulse-poundingly paced to say the least, and must have got many a bibliophiles’ blood pumping with its mixture of skull-shattering shooting, explosive grenades and flesh-shredding close combat.

Eduardo Ferigato’s artwork is also a key ingredient to this book’s palpable success, courtesy of the São Paulo-born illustrator’s clean line work and sense for the theatrical when pencilling a panel, such as when an inexperienced Amala can’t help but fire an automated blaster straight up into the ceiling, despite being faced with a swarm of death-dealing robot zombies. Coupled with Marcelo Costa’s vibrant colours, and ability to utilise a palette in order to effectively contrast the digital dilapidation of Brycemere’s fake world with the cold grey of Rebecca’s work facility, this magazine’s interiors are undeniably a feast for the eyes, as well as strong recipe for story sharing success.

Writer: Mat Groom, Artist: Eduardo Ferigato, and Colors: Marcelo Costa