‘New Masters #1’ Review

Writer: Shobo Coker / Artist: Shof Coker / Image The very first moment that you open New Masters, you’re greeted with a vaguely familiar scene. A daring protagonist on their motorbike approaches some mysterious monument. I say vaguely familiar because there is something about Shof Coker’s artwork that makes the full page spread feel different than the usual sci-fi affair. As Ola descends into the Kainji Mines, deep in the Eko Exclusion Zone, we are treated to a visual spectacle of technological ruins. A very interesting stage is set for New Masters, even if some of the pieces of the universe don’t quite fall into place until later in the issue.

Nigerian duo Shobo and Shof Coker bring the Afrofuture front and center in New Masters.

Set approximately eleven hundred years after “Adventu” (a monumental event that gets some exposition near the end of the issue), New Masters is an Afrofuturist comic that follows Ola in her attempt to make ends meet in a harsh world. A landscape full of aliens, strange technology, and more. Ola and her robotic companion Aṣẹ have wonderfully unique character designs that Shof illustrates perfectly. Ola’s badassery in reclaiming raw materials immediately resonates which pivots into an equally engaging second act. One where we see Ola making her way in the big city before the third act gets a bit exposition-heavy, showing some of the political wheeling and dealing of this world. This is the second time that Nigerian brothers Shobo and Shof have worke…