Self/Made is the kind of book that lets me know this site is necessary. It’s a beautifully constructed, deeply philosophical, yet criminally underrated masterwork of science fiction. I was shocked to find that co-creators Mat Groom and Eduardo Ferigato haven’t just been engulfed in awards and accolades by now. The high concept alone is its own victory lap, and it's so deftly executed that I’m having a tough time explaining it to you without ruining the turn at the end of the first chapter. But there are worse problems to have, so here goes nothing. “Self/Made is the simultaneous deconstruction of video games, the morality of creating AI, and the meaning of life itself.” Or maybe it’s more like “Self/Made is a story set in that intangible space between the stories that live in our minds and the stories we play out in our lives.” Or how about “Matt Groom put the Matrix, World of Warcraft, and I Robot in a room, then interrogated them so vigorously they broke down crying and snitched on eachother.” I don’t know. Listen, I put the book down after my most-recent re-read, turned to my fiance and said “Now I know I’m on the right path in life.” Just knowing an accomplishment like this is a possibility, is reason enough to keep working at this craft for the rest of my days. That’s just how I feel.
I can already see myself getting carried away, but it’s imperative that we address the craftsmanship here. Self/Made is as character-driven a story as you’re going to find on any shelf. And Amala Cintari is your favorite main character’s favorite main character, okay? By now, I’m used to seeing skilled authors chip away at their characters’ exterior, the events of the story almost excavating a character’s core truth from the shell they use to navigate the world. It’s one of my favorite storytelling pastimes. This is different. Groom manages to build Amala from the ground up right before our eyes (and hers as well, for that matter.) Where a lesser writer would’ve settled for simply breaking conventions, Groom breaks settings, worlds, and entire realities to create a uniquely satisfying, immersive experience for the audience. If you read this book cover to cover and don’t end up just rooting for her in the climax, it’s because you’re a sociopath. No judgment, just saying.
In Self/Made we have a “why didn’t I think of that” concept coupled with a masterfully executed script. I haven’t even begun to talk about the art, but if you’ve read this far that means you’ve seen at least some with your own eyes. Ferigato is clearly a veteran visual storyteller. Drawing this story is a tall order. Look at the breadth of locations he’s created for us. We have high fantasy settings, the 4th dimension, a space horror battle royal video game, the inner-workings of an androids’ thoughts, faithfully rendered real-world cities with a Sci-Fi twist… I could go on, but you get it. This is a comic book artist decathlon. Ferigato manages to fit all these disparate visual elements into the same puzzle. He manages to keep Amala's characterization consistent even as she switches bodies. There are so many ways to fail at drawing this book, and he managed to avoid all of them.
If you enjoy intelligent storytelling, this book is for you. If you enjoy spending time in any corner of the science fiction genre, this book is for you. If you enjoy seeing a woman of color defy every expectation and obstacle placed in front of her, this book is for you. If you just enjoy the medium of comics itself, this book is for you. It was an amazing read, and one that I’ll gladly revisit again soon. If you want to see what all the hype is about, I highly recommend visiting your local comic book store. If that’s not your jam, you can find the best prices for your physical copy here. Enjoy!
Comments