The post-apocalyptic world is at war, with Earth’s remaining cities divided in half while others conspire to kill them all from behind the scenes. As Aphrodite IX tries to figure out what’s going on and struggles to find a way to make peace, others try to eliminate opposing IXs and their forces. If that’s not enough, the 13 artifacts of the Top Cow Universe are emerging and choosing their hosts.
Written by Matt Hawkins, IXth Generation 6 begins exactly where the last issue left off, with the all-out war between the IX family members finally beginning. Like previous issues in this series, it’s not exactly new reader friendly, but for anyone familiar with the Top Cow Universe, there’s a lot of depth behind what’s going on. The conflict behind the different IX leaders is fun and it plays out in sometimes crazy ways. Meanwhile, Aphrodite’s search for peace reveals some big details on what the Aphrodite Protocol is really about. That said, because this is mostly an action issue, it’s a lot easier for newcomers to follow than most issues in this series. Even if the meanings behind the artifacts or the apocalypse aren’t explained, they’re referenced in ways that help simplify this series a little.
The art by Atilio Rojo is good. When the darkness chooses its new host, there’s a splash page complete with a variety of darkness creatures, each of them creepy in their own right. Facial expression are well drawn, showing Ares’s excitement in the mix of battle, the look of determination on Velocity on the final page and Aphrodite’s anger when she’s trying to deal with everything that’s going on. The colouring is dark yet still colourful. When Poseidon attacks Ares’s city, there’s a red glow throughout his attack ship from the battle ready lighting. There are some panels that aren’t as detailed as the rest, but they still look alright.
This series is great. The mix of science fiction, a post-apocalyptic world and Top Cow’s artifact mythology works very well, and the storytelling is compelling too. While it’s recommended that you start with Hawkins’s Aphrodite IX run before you read this, IXth Generation 6 isn’t overly complicated. If you enjoy this, you’ll probably enjoy the rest of this series.
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