Anaki #1 is a comic created by E. N. Ejob. Two friends attempt to steal something very valuable but things get out of hand. This story takes place in a futuristic cyberpunk world with heavy restrictions on the people. Our lead characters Anaki and Khufuti must operate under these conditions. Anaki is a very nimble and unafraid woman who is only committing these crimes to help others. Khufuti is the tech genius and brains of the operation whose plans aren’t always perfect. The plot here is very straightforward; steal an item, then sell the item. But it isn’t that easy. There are automated systems that must be subverted, enemies with the advantage of the high ground, and angry prefects. This comic does a good job at showcasing the stress of the leads as they try to get away in one piece. The dialogue is modern and easy to understand but they do reference things that aren’t explained when they mention it. This isn’t a wordy comic at all but you might get duped into believing it is because of the font size. This is an exciting and fast-paced debut issue that introduces us to the world and gives a look at some interesting characters.
This is a very stylized and relatively brightly colored comic. The main location for this story is a city street outside a clothing store. Due to the cyberpunk vibes there are a lot of lights and an overall high-tech city vibe. There is lot to look at in the background of most panels. The expression level here is about average since sometimes we wouldn’t be able to tell what the characters are feeling if not for their words. The faces contain a good amount of detail with some of them having face paint. The bodies here aren’t the most proportional which gives this comic a unique look. There are a lot of unique hairstyles here like green twin afro puffs. We see a bunch of cyberpunk item like holographic weapons and more powerful drones. The violence here is a lot of gunfire but it does get up close and personal and features blood; but the action scenes are easy to follow. The leading lady isn’t sexualized but she is thicker than fridge peanut butter so it might seem like she is.
“Is this worth reading?”
Yes.
“Would I like this?”
If you like stories starring a black woman taking place in a futuristic cyberpunk world with an overbearing government this is for you.
“What would this comic’s film rating be?”
PG-13. This does get violent.
“Could I get a quote from the comic?”
“There’s an occasion that warrants I look my best.”
Kickstarter Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ejob-of-zebra-comics/anaki-1/description
***IN-DEPTH COMIC STATS BELOW***
Probably Contains Spoilers
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Actual Pages(not counting covers and credits): 23
Violent Pages: 6, for 26% of the comic
Sexy Pages: 0, for 0% of the comic
**The levels below aren’t necessarily maintained throughout the whole comic, but they were definitely reached**
Violence Level – 3
“Wasn’t no tussling at all.”
“Sometimes you gotta hit somebody.”
“I’m getting charged with how many counts of assault?”
“This was a tournament arc.”
“All my life I had to fight.”
Gore Level – 3
“The only thing leaking out your face is tears.”
“Looks like somebody spilled some ketchup.”
“Might need to soak that up with a bath towel.”
“That isn’t supposed to be outside the body.”
“This is a slaughterhouse.”
Death Level – 1
“And everybody lived happily ever after.”
“We might have gone to a couple funerals.”
“It just LOOKS like a serial killer was here.”
“Yeah this was a tragedy.”
“Think Gettysburg.”
Porn Level – 1
“Everybody kept their clothes on.”
“I guess it was too hot for a bra.”
“Sometimes you got to let everything air out.”
“This is like late night Cinemax in the early 2000’s.”
“Oh. This is porn.”
