Self/Made is the first on-going comic book series by writer Mat Groom and artist Eduardo Ferigato. Edited by Kyle Higgins (Power Rangers) and published by Image Comics, Self/Made is a cryptic new fantasy series that I promise you will be talking about for a while. Check out a full review of the first issue after the jump.
DISCLAIMER: I received an advance copy of Self/Made #1 courtesy of Image Comics.
Opinions are my own.
Introducing a new creative team everyone will be talking about—superstar talent writer MAT GROOM and artist EDUARDO FERIGATO. When chaos besieges the kingdom of Arcadia, warrior Amala Citlali sees it as her chance to escape her clearly-defined role—and to change her destiny. But she could never have predicted that it would also be her chance to confront her God. In his debut editorial role, comics veteran KYLE HIGGINS guides this intimate, worlds-spanning story of self-discovery.
I already know that Self/Made is going to be one of those new comics that everyone talks about for a while. Unfortunately, it has the sort of premise that makes it almost impossible to talk about. I read the first issue over a month ago - but I couldn’t say a word because every single panel led up to a massive twist in the very last page. Even labeling the book with a genre is a huge spoiler.
And even now that the first issue will be out for the world to see, the twisted premise leaves way more questions than answers. I still don’t feel comfortable talking about the story since it’s still not entirely clear what exactly is going on here.
After learning what was really going on in Self/Made, I reread the issue and saw many clues and references. I call these “Sixth Sense clues” where the audience knows what’s up the second time around. Not only is Self/Made a must-read, you’ll want to reread it over and over again.
Okay, let’s stop talking about what we can’t talk about and talk about what we can talk about: for a first time team, Mat Groom and Eduardo Ferigato are top notch comic creators. Any premise that relies heavily on a big twist like this one can easily be executed poorly, but that's not the case here.
Groom has crafted a story so well that I was already invested in the original book that I thought I was reading in the first pages. Ferigato’s artwork really pulls you into the world, which is definitely going to be required to pull something like this off.
Groom has crafted a story so well that I was already invested in the original book that I thought I was reading in the first pages. Ferigato’s artwork really pulls you into the world, which is definitely going to be required to pull something like this off.
While rereading Self/Made #1, I started thinking about some TV shows that it reminded me of. I can’t tell you exactly what shows those were - because spoilers - but I can say that one is from a genre-defining creator and the other is housed on HBO. Two signs of quality that have me excited to talk about this with everyone I can find.
I can’t talk about Self/Made without ruining it for you, but I can all but guarantee that everyone will be talking about it a year from now. So get on it now before the rest of the world spoils it for you.
The complete Self/Made is now available here as a trade paperback collection.
The complete Self/Made is now available here as a trade paperback collection.
