New fantasy Land of the Living Gods, from AfterShock Comics, depicts a post-apocalyptic world steeped in South African culture, claiming Akira as a major influence. The new comic offers a fresh perspective on the familiar genre with aesthetics and ideas intended to be "wholly specific" to South Africa.
The new series Land of the Living Gods, created by South African writer Isaac Mogajane and Brazilian artist Santtos, follows the story of Naledi, a teenage girl living in a post-apocalyptic Johannesburg. Believing in a hidden land where the Gods reside, Naledi sets out on an adventure to ask the Gods to restore her dystopian world, aided by her magical plant Buyo. Although his first new comic with Aftershock, it's not the writer's first time in media. Mogajane has written and produced films like Catching Feelings, Matwetwe, Blitz Patollie, and Netflix's Queen Sono. All were made under DIPRENTE, an independent production company co-founded by Mogajane in 2009.
In a press release from AfterShock, Mogajane shares a short preview of Land of the Living Gods #1's cover and story, as well as explaining the desire to produce unique genre fiction proudly blended with South African culture, in the same way that Akira "created a wholly believable future that was so deeply steeped in Japanese aesthetics and culture." Created by Katsuhiro Otomo in 1982 and depicting a futuristic, apocalyptic Japan in the fictional city of Neo-Tokyo, Akira plays out amid biker gangs, psychic kids, and corrupt government officials. After watching the 1988 film adaptation, Mogajane fell in love with Akira and the way it embraced sci-fi without conforming to Western aesthetics, causing the young writer to want the same story told from the perspective of South African culture. Enjoy the cover and preview pages below.
The wordless panels paint a clear picture of an apocalyptic world with abandoned cars, homes, and a "trust no one" mindset, as well as cyborgs and pet hyenas seen even more clearly on the cover. The preview begins with a brother and sister meeting a terrible demise as the older sister falls off a cliff and into an ocean. Snapping back to the present day, Naledi hides from a hyena and a hunter when the sister's spirit appears to defend her resting place. However, before the celestial spirit can set her sights on Naledi, the comic's hero shows her respect by bowing her head in prayer.
The preview ends with an intense action scene with a new character hitting Naledi with an electric or magical staff. This world seems to focus heavily on robotic technology, but will dive more into outright fantasy as Naledi attempts to hunt down the gods and restore the world. AfterShock's new South African fantasy comic Land of the Living Gods will officially release on February 2, 2022, striving to tell a stunning genre story without downplaying the culture that inspired it, like Akira before it.
Source: AfterShock