God Mode #3

God Mode #3

Keenspot 2020

Written by Mike Rosenzweig & Jason Swoboda

Illustrated by Remy “Eisu” Mokhtar

Lettered by Mike Rosenzweig

It's still 1995 and God Mode is about to change forever! After an unexpected invitation, Marceline faces a tough decision. Meanwhile, Barrett and Tory's relationship becomes extremely awkward.

I am thoroughly enjoying this series. Keenspot is a very underrated little publishing house that puts out some absolutely great little books. This for example is about a group of high school friends who have created a computer program that will either bolster their friendship or tear it apart. I like that this is a group of high schoolers because in reality that’s where a lot of computer changes get made, those kids who are smart and have drive and passion about something and they understand the computer and the fledgling internet better than most. So while this is a work of fiction it is something that conceivably considered reality as well. What the guys are doing with this is utterly fantastic and I am enjoying the interactions between the group as well as their personal drama that may or may not interfere with what they’ve got planned.

I am really enjoying the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented extremely well. Plus this is a very well rounded look at the kids and their lives which is how the reader is able to connect, engage and empathise with them thus enjoying the story all the more. The character development that we see is fantastic. How the dialogue works in concert with how they act and react to the situations and circumstances they encounter is what makes them appear more and more like real people. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing more and more of the story you feel like you are among friends, as if you are one of them.

The way that this is being structured is so nice to see. How the layers within the story continue to grow, evolve and change as new ones emerge it creates a great intrigue factor. With the way that everything works together to create the story’s ebb & flow it helps to move everything ever forward and that’s some really nice work being done.

The artwork that we see is nice. While the linework seems to be pretty one strength it doesn’t matter because the detail work that we see still shines through beautifully. Also the all-ages work makes this more accessible to a wider array of folks. We all know that i’m a backgrounds guy and I like to see them utilised as often as possible and then more so, so to see them here is really nice. I appreciate the 90’s references, the posters and the nod in the clothing as it really shows some great initiative. The characters are fantastic and the faces with the facial expressions along with the body language really further the characterisation. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a solid eye for storytelling. The colour is fabulous! Most of this is pretty standard colour blocking, or the black & white of the past which is killer here, but it’s really the school dance that makes this stand out like no ones business. The way we see various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work is exceptional. Also i greatly appreciate how the light sources change how we see the colours too.

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This is as fun as all get out and it’s intelligently written with some great wit, sass and that humour which comes unexpectedly and from unexpected moments. I can’t get enough of this and I hope that there’s going to be still more to come after this arc is over.