When my girlfriend described God Complex to me, I knew I was in for a treat. A noir cyberpunk comic about a dark and brooding detective mixed up with futuristic versions of the Greek gods? Sign me up! I sat down to read God Complex this weekend and I couldn’t put it down. And since the trade paperback of the first arc of the comic, God Complex: Dogma is out today, I wanted to write a review of the story so far.

Written by Paul Jenkins and Bryan Lie and drawn by Hendry Prasetya, God Complex sets the classic hard-boiled detective story within the futuristic city of Delphi. Seneca, the main character, is a detective working a case of three murdered acolytes of a church called the Trinity. As he continues to work the case, he works alongside one of the Rulers, Hermes, to solve a deep conspiracy hidden within Delphi that threatens the entire structure of the city.

What I found enthralling about God Complex how natural the classical references feel sprinkled throughout the plot, setting, and characters. Take the most obvious example, the Rulers, who are all named after Greek gods/goddesses. God Complex takes the essence and character of the gods in Greek myth and transplants them into a new setting. The gods are still arrogant and often barely spare a thought for the lives of humans. The gods are still powerful and rule people’s lives, but rather than controlling humanity through divine magic they are plugged into the Stream, an augmented reality information highway, only they can see. Regular humans are all a part of the system but can’t access it. This gives the Rulers a powerful advantage over the lesser humans. It’s not just access to the Stream that gives the Rulers their power though. It’s their access to all the best technology. Their power comes from access to tech and integrating it into their bodies. This gives the setting a lot of interesting potential. Could a regular human become a Ruler if they got access to enough tech and augmentations?

I also want to quickly mention the beauty of the design of the gods in the comic. They appear almost human, and yet very alien with their built-in technology. The art in God Complex perfectly captures the regal nature and arrogance of the Greek gods.

Seneca provides a different look at the old Greek hero stereotypes. He often questions the gods and is punished for it, and yet the more he bucks against his fate the more he quickens it coming to pass. Seneca has a complicated relationship with the Rulers and the Trinity, which is interesting as the conspiracy unfolds. Another interesting aspect of Seneca’s character is his “conscience,” a voice he hears in his head that guides him along his path. Plus, I love a dark and brooding hero standing out in the rain like umbrellas aren’t a thing.

God Complex deals with issues of faith and hope versus duty and obedience, and Seneca blurs the line between faith and obedience in a lot of interesting ways because he used to be a member of the Trinity church, an organization directly opposed to the Rulers’ authority and technology. He works with Hermes on his case, but he has a rocky relationship with the Rulers. His attitude towards their authority leads him into some hairy situations, which is part of what makes God Complex an interesting read.

The only problem I with God Complex the reader is kind of dropped into the story and it gets started at a run. It would be nice if the story took a little bit more time to explain more about the setting and how everything works. God Complex is definitely an enjoyable read (I read all 152 pages in one sitting), but I was left with questions about the society of Delphi and the Rulers. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s worth noting.

God Complex is an intriguing comic about the relation between Greek myth and the power dynamics between church and state. It’s really good and I recommend you check it out if you haven’t heard of it.

Originally posted on matthewtelkin.com.