IX Vol. 1

Matt Hawkins2015

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Series: IX is a direct spin-off series from Top Cow's Aphrodite IX and Cyber Force storylines. Written by Matt Hawkins with art by Stjepan Šejić and others, it was published in 2015 by Top Cow Productions under Image Comics. The story is set in a distant future transformed by the Aphrodite Project: human civilization has long since collapsed, and a group of synthetic gods called the IX, each named after a Greek deity, awaken from slumber and take over the remnants of a utopian world. Death is no longer an end for them—consciousness can be downloaded repeatedly into new bodies—but this repeated rebirth also makes them cavalier about life. The nine gods soon war over territory and authority, dragging the promised paradise into civil war. Meanwhile, an ancient evil known as "the Darkness" closes in again, and magical artifacts from the Top Cow universe, such as the Witchblade and the Darkness, appear amid this collision of science fiction and the supernatural. This is volume 1 of the series, collecting the opening material. The publisher billed the series as "the Avengers of the Top Cow universe," bringing the sci-fi cyber-gods and the magical artifact system onto the same board. Due to limited source material, the specific collected issue numbers and chapter-by-chapter plot could not be verified; only the series setting is introduced here.

Summary

IX is a direct spin-off of Top Cow's Aphrodite IX and Cyber Force storylines. Written by Matt Hawkins with art by Stjepan Šejić and others, it was published by Top Cow Productions under Image Comics in 2015. Set in a distant future reshaped by the Aphrodite Project, the story unfolds after human civilization has long collapsed. A group of synthetic deities known as the IX, each named after a Greek god, awaken from slumber and take control of the surviving utopian world. For them, death is no longer an endpoint—consciousness can be downloaded repeatedly into new bodies—but this endless rebirth also makes them careless with life. The nine gods soon turn on one another in disputes over territory and power, dragging the promised paradise into civil war. Meanwhile, an ancient evil known as the Darkness closes in once more, and magical artifacts from the wider Top Cow universe, including the Witchblade and the Darkness itself, emerge in this collision of science fiction and the supernatural. This volume, the first in the series, collects the opening chapters. The publisher has billed the series as "the Avengers of the Top Cow universe," bringing its cybernetic gods of science fiction and its system of magical artifacts face to face on the same board. Due to limited source material, the specific issue numbers and chapter-by-chapter plot of this volume could not be verified; the above is an introduction to the series' setting only.

Editor's review

这大概是最被中文读者忽略的一支“Top Cow 大事件”：它不像漫威、DC 那样铺天盖地，却把赛博朋克、希腊神话与魔法神器三样东西缝合得相当大胆。九位以神祇命名的合成人，本该共享乌托邦，却像凡人一样为疆界和权力撕破脸；永生让他们变得傲慢，也让“我还是不是我”成为贯穿始终的隐痛——每一次重生，回来的是本人，还是一份还不错的副本？马特·霍金斯的剧本直白、信息量密集，开篇铺陈略嫌拥挤，但一经聚焦到阿佛洛狄忒 IX 与赫菲斯托斯 IX 的关系上，情感立刻站住了脚。作画方面，斯捷潘·舍伊奇用松弛而富有动感的线条交出极具辨识度的画面，人物表情尤其生动；后续的绘者也维持了硬朗的写实路线。对于看惯了超级英雄套路的读者，这是一部有门槛、也有惊喜的另类群像。

Who it's for

A good fit for

喜欢赛博朋克与末世设定的欧美漫画读者
对 Top Cow 宇宙（阿佛洛狄忒 IX、魔女之刃、赛博部队）有兴趣的人
想尝鲜“科幻神祇群像”这一冷门题材的漫画收藏者
能接受高信息量台词与密集前情设定的老读者

Not a good fit for

完全没接触过美漫、希望零门槛入坑的读者
偏好轻松日常或儿童向漫画的读者
对暴力战斗与人体改造画面较敏感的读者

Reading tips

先读《阿佛洛狄忒 IX》与《赛博部队》相关篇章，再回到本系列，人物关系会清楚很多。
开篇旁白与设定说明较密集，可先略读第一遍，记住九位神祇的名号与领地在二刷时细看。
留意每一件魔法神器（魔女之刃、暗影之轮等）出场的位置，它们串联起 Top Cow 宇宙的两条脉络。
不要把它当标准超级英雄团队书来读，核心冲突在“永生者如何自我毁灭”。

FAQ

《IX》是漫威的作品吗？

不是。该系列由 Image Comics 旗下的 Top Cow Productions 出版，常被归入 Top Cow 宇宙，与漫威、DC 的主线世界观无关。

没读过前作能看懂吗？

能勉强看懂，但会吃力。本系列是《阿佛洛狄忒 IX》与《赛博部队》的衍生续作，前情设定很多，建议至少先了解一下阿佛洛狄忒 IX 的基本背景。

“IX”这个书名是什么意思？

IX 是罗马数字 9，指故事中九位以希腊神祇命名的合成“神祇”，系列原名 IXth Generation 即“第九世代”。

这个系列一共有几册？

原系列共出版 8 期正刊，后续以两卷合订本形式发行；本条目对应第 1 册。具体中文版分册情况请以实际出版物为准。

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