™ THE COMPLETE SERIES APHRODITE IX CREATED BY: DAVID FINCH & DAVID WOHL Sample file published by Top Cow Productions, Inc. Los Angeles ™ THE COMPLETE SERIES writer: MATT HAWKINS artist: STJEPAN SEJIC letterer: TROY PETERI For this edition cover art by: Stjepan Sejic Original edition edited by: Bryan Rountree & Betsy Gonia For this edition book design and layout by: Vincent Valentine For Top Cow Productions, Inc. To find the comic shop Want more info? Check out: Marc Silvestri - CEO Samplenearest you, call: fileMatt Hawkins - President and COO 1-888-COMICBOOK Betsy Gonia – Managing Editor Elena Salcedo – Operations Manager for news & exclusive Ryan Cady - Editorial Assistant Top Cow merchandise! Vincent Valentine – Production Assistant Aphrodite IX™ The Complete Series. April 2015. FIRST PRINTING. ISBN: 978-1-63215-368-5 $49.99 USD. Published by Image Comics, Inc. Office of Publication: 2001 Center St., Sixth Floor, Berkeley, CA 94704. Originally published in single magazine form as Aphrodite IX: Rebirth 1-11, Aphrodite IX: Hidden Files 1, and Aphrodite IX: Time Out of Mind 1-4. Aphrodite IX™ 2015 Top Cow Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. “Aphrodite IX,” the Aphrodite IX logos, and the likenesses of all characters (human or otherwise) featured herein are registered trademarks of Top Cow Productions, Inc. Image Comics and the Image Comics logo are trademarks of Image Comics, Inc. The characters, events, and stories in this publication are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), events, institutions, or locales, without satiric intent, is coincidental. No portion of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the express permission of Top Cow Productions, Inc. Printed in South Korea. Foreward Super Humans and Feathered Dragons Life has a tendency to break through the boundaries of definition from which we attempt to confine it. Be it flesh or machine, from a womb or a test-tube, a divine creation or scientific occurrence, a common theme can be consistently extracted from such a variety of physical states and origins. Deep down we can all feel that connection. Expressing it is a far more complex affair, but we recognize it when we see it. That’s why we enlist art and science to explore and vicariously explain to us through education and entertainment. Yet we are all too familiar with how rare they cooperate, which is why we need books like this. Upon its pages the two are present in vigorous extremity- the journey of Aphrodite IX is gracefully rich in its feel of fantasy with a Science Class chaser that will expand your perceptions of the possible. A true work of visual and literary art delivered by seductive super humans and feathered dragons with an inspiring level of realism. This observation comes from the perspective of an artist engulfed in hard realities, dinosaurs, and leading-edge robotics. My experience is shaped by working in exhibits and the display of science in major museums - remembering life - complemented by prototyping next-gen robot anatomy - creating future life. This is my spectrum. Real to the point where I recently received a patent for a novel type of haptic motor, and one of the robots I worked on has a permanent home in the Smithsonian. So I know a few things about the Ologies at play here, both Bio and Tech, and as such I had a complete blast absorbing this comic series. We are nature remembering itself. If we want to get it right, we need to learn the ropes so we can apply that to the future and evolve new things. Our comprehension of consciousness is sought by many means, both spiritual and scientific. One way in which we explore our understanding thus far is by what we can reproduce in the fields of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Intelligence. A simplified way of understanding the difference between the two is that one is acting and the other is not. AI doesn’t know what the bleep it is talking about, but “true intelligence,” sought through other means and methods, seeks that very thing (albeit also much harder to define). A lot of science fiction, and research, assumes the former can produce the latter. The robots are already amongst us, and soon on the way are a mix of the two, it’s the degree of it that varies. Their senses are real but most reactions are not. And yes, you can say that to a degree about people, especially as we age and mature. Our cortex is very much like a mirror reflecting what we observe along the way - how much we actually understand of our own reactions can at times be just as questionable. Comparison to humans brings up an overlap, the ominous 3rd type: the drone. Varying degrees of autonomy can be present, but ultimately the most dangerous creature on the planet, a human, is in control from a remote location. Imagine being hacked, taken over, losing all control. Are we empathizing with a drone? Well, what if it happened to a person? Is this yet another uncomfortable metaphor for those who blindly (keyword here) follow aggressive religious and military direction? Strong similarities already exist between natural/ human and artificial intelligence, but the parts eluding us in both fields may be getting the blanks filled in as we unravel the observations of Quantum Physics. Recording memory and suspending thought in the bizarre realm of the subatomic makes far more sense than anything else I can think of. But what the quark do I know? I’m just an artist giving my “armchair scientist” opinion. By all means do your own research, but this story opens up many possibilities that are fun to explore. Our memories and thoughts, some would simply say our souls, do not appear to be governed by the laws of traditional physics after all. That does not mean they are not intertwined, but once we know how so we may very well be able to move between bodies and be rebuilt in ways we’ve yet to imagine. This story sure gets the ball rolling on where that may take us. Aphrodite IX is also a bold and visually delicious exploration of our growing ability to manipulate the science of DNA and genetics to produce characters who explore another highly variable subject: Us. Who the heck are weSample and what are we doing on, and to, this planet? Why do we act the waysfile in which we do, how and why are we subverted, uplifted, defeated, and victorious? How do our relationships with one another shape our decisions, the paths we take, and, ultimately, the effects we have as a species on the greater world around us? There is a very real Mass Extinction level event happening right now, a fact that is unfortunately not fiction. This has only happened to such an extreme degree five other times in the past 500 million years. Human behavior is the major cause of the now-ongoing sixth. Many scientists feel it is appropriate to name this new Epoch of history the Anthropocene for our overwhelming contribution. Prepare to get a glimpse of what this new era could look like. - Jason Bannister CHAPTER 1 SampleAPHRODITE IX: REBIRTH #1 file Sample file Sample file.