Welcome to .Self, a mind-bending sci-fi thriller from Eisner-nominated writer Christopher Sebela (Crowded; High Crimes), artist Cara McGee (Black Canary: Ignite; Star Wars), colorist Rebecca Nalty (Finger Guns), and letterer Aditya Bidikar (These Savage Shores, Afterlift). The debut issue of the 5-part series is now available from comiXology Originals, the digital exclusive content line of comiXology, an Amazon company.
“This fall has been a tremendous time for the comiXology Originals program," said Chip Mosher, comiXology’s Head of Content. "With the success of Scottober and the surprise release of Chip Zdarsky and Jason's Loo's The All-Nighter, more eyeballs are on comiXology Originals releases than ever before. We can't wait for readers to discover the debut issue of .Self this month. Sebela and McGee have created an incredibly thought provoking concept that will have you rethinking your relationship to technology.”
Swallow the capsule. Wait. Let your Postscript unit sync up. It’s designed to preserve everything that makes you you. Postscript backs up your memories, your feelings, and physical reactions. It scans your hard drives, analyzes your social media, and captures a complete snapshot of who you are. Your data is uploaded daily and safeguarded, guaranteeing a 100% safe way to ensure your most precious moments are stored securely until you die. At that time, your files will be loaded into an artificial body called a Blank for 48 hours of closure with friends and family. You will write your own ending. At least, that’s what the ads say.
“In this new era of crypto and NFTs I wanted to explore the idea that even we ourselves are capable of being exploitable digital assets,” says Sebela. “In .Self, we play with the concept that you can see yourself in different bodies that have chosen to follow different paths and dreams you may have let go of over the course of your life either because the dream was silly, or you changed, or life just didn’t allow for it.”
In .Self, Natalie Winters seems to have a perfect life. But when her Postscript account is hacked, Natalie’s backup files are torrented online and people begin making bootleg copies of her. Natalie’s copies try to chase down dreams that she abandoned long ago. Now, with a dozen Blanks of Natalie arriving on her doorstep, she must stop them, delete everything, and save herself.
“.Self is a book about someone who is comfortable for the first time in their life and then realizes that that doesn’t actually equate to happiness,” says Sebela.
"I feel like it's so rare to see a woman in her 30's go through this sort of journey of self-discovery, learning new and surprising things about herself while also confronting some of her demons, so I'm thrilled to be a part of this series,” says McGee. “It also gave me a chance to draw the sort of stuff I haven't gotten to draw in any of my other published work, which was SUPER fun."
About the Writer:
Christopher Sebela is a four-time Eisner-nominated writer, designer, and publisher living in Portland, Oregon. With a focus on telling original stories, he’s co-created comics such as Crowded, Dead Dudes, Test, Heartthrob, We(l)come Back, Dead Letters, and Shanghai Red, among others. He is currently working on half a dozen new creator-owned comics and digging back into writing prose.
About the Artist:
Cara McGee is a BFA graduate of SCAD's Sequential Art program. Since graduating in 2010, she has worked on a number of personal mini comics, as well as many comics, covers, and illustrations for companies like BOOM!, DC, IDW, and Cards Against Humanity. She currently lives in the woods in the middle of nowhere, and travels as much as her schedule allows. For more, check out her website: https://www.caramcgee.com/
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