This is a great beginning for a new sci-fi series. Thirty-seven years ago, Earth was secretly invaded by an alien force known as the Devolution, and they’ve been shaping humanity to prepare us to be assimilated into their empire but some people are fighting back. It is a good story with twists and turns and an explosive ending that I really enjoyed. The artwork is colourful and engaging. It will be interesting to see where this series goes next.

This was just okay for me. Sometimes I struggled to follow the story. I may read the second volume when it eventually gets completed to see what happens with some of the characters. The artwork was phenomenal .

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

This was very bloody and violent, but it was an interesting sci-fi take on aliens. Definitely full of language and gore, though.

Netgalley Review

Star Rating: ★★★☆☆

It is bloody and it is sci-fi-y. Exactly as it states there on the cover. Glad I gave it a shot.

Like always though, read it and decide for yourself

Aliens have spent three decades destabilizing Earth and just as they are ready to complete their takeover, they find instability within their own ranks. Told primarily from the point of view of the alien group, I didn't always understand what their goals were, but I found the various intrigues interesting. I was gorier than I was prepared for, depicting scenes of torture.

Honestly this was just a fun book and a fun read. The art was really nice as well and complemented the storytelling style as well.

In The Ministry of Compliance, John Ridley crafts a cinematic spy-thriller within the framework of an alien invasion story. Earth’s secret infiltration by the Devolution sets the stage for a richly detailed world, complete with thirteen ministries manipulating human life. Avigail Senna, the formidable leader of the Ministry of Compliance, ensures obedience. The art is well-drawn, albeit with abstract gory violence. However, the flat dialogue and inconsistent characterization prevent full immersion. While Ridley’s conspiracy-filled political intrigue captivates, the missed opportunity for deeper social commentary keeps it from a higher rating.

Thanks to NetGalley and IDW Publishing for this arc.

The Devolution is an organised race of aliens working to enact order to the chaos of the universe. For the last 37 years, thirteen ministries have been slowly taking charge of every facet on Earth. Just before the last phase of their conquer is announced, the primer minister is unexpectedly deposed. In this uncertainty, the leader of the ministry of compliance, Avigail Senna, the one in charge to police other ministries, is suddenly blindsided by treason and resistance groups. With few people left to trust, Avigail decides to employ a new person, a half alien half human girl to help her find the traitors.

This graphic novel was super interesting up until the half point. In the beginning, I was invested in the mystery, action and characters. I wanted to know more about the alien race, the politics and their homeworld. I just really liked the worldbuilding. But then, characters made choices that convoluted the story way too much. Secrets, treasons and reveals came too late and too near each other. They made the last 50 pages, and especially the very end of this volume, a narrative mess. The change on the pacing was jarring, the writing became clunky, and most importantly, the characters and their motivations suffered. I don't think I'll pick up volume two after this, I lost the desire to see what's going to happen. I do have to say though, I really liked the art. It's clean and I really liked the character design. There's a lot of violence and gore, but the art was never gratuitously bloody.

There are some good ideas, especially in the beginning. I really liked the balanced tone between sci-fi, thriller and action. As a first volume, it had a lot to offer, I just really think the ending ruined a lot of the momentum and the characters lost a lot of motivation.

Gorgeous graphic novel that lacked a plot. I couldn't get into it at all because it was not that interesting. I stayed for the illustrations.

This was an okay read for me, which seems to be the normal for me lately. There were a few standout aspects but overall, it didn’t quite hit the mark. The concept had potential, and I really liked the artwork, but the story itself left me wanting more.

I don't know how to explain this but the aliens didn't feel like real aliens. Kind of more like humans pretending to be aliens.
The pacing left me confused about what was happening at times, and I never really felt a connection with any of the characters which in turn turned me off with the story.
The illustrations were well-executed and visually appealing, bringing a unique style to the narrative. However, while the drawings were good, they weren’t enough to compensate for other parts that didn't work for me.

2.5 stars

This was just an okay read for me. I feel like the aliens were alien enough. They are impossible to differentiate from the humans. The only way you can tell is because you're told that someone is in a ministry. The beginning was a bit slow for me but then it rushed through the ending. A lot of the time I wasn't really sure what what happening. There isn't really a connection formed with any of the character so I felt nothing when characters are betrayed.

The concept and drawing are good but overall it was just okay.

Thanks to NetGalley and IDW Publishing for the ARC.

I've really enjoyed some John Ridley comics, but this barely even feels like a comic so much as a way to pitch undemanding streamers some content which can be billed as 'John Wick meets Succession' despite lacking the panache of one or the wit of the other.

The premise, such as it is: for nearly 40 years, aliens have been infiltrating humanity, sowing division and undermining our institutions ahead of a takeover. That our problems, while admittedly worse now, are mostly traceable to currents preceding the extraterrestrials' arrival, is understandably never mentioned - though it is suggested that they have in turn been corrupted by our "debauchery, avarice, immorality" - never mind that an urge to acquire other planets by deception seems pretty avaricious and immoral in itself. Not that it really matters, because beyond a handful of fancy weapons, and spaceships which remain offscreen (because comics visuals have no budget constraint, but why risk spooking potential buyers?), the aliens seem pretty much indistinguishable from humans, visually or in any other respect; yeah, they have a couple of catchphrases and mantras, but nothing that couldn't pass muster as the slogan of a corporation or other cult. So basically it's another secret war story, all betrayals and slaughters in the shadows, with an occasional flimsy gesture towards social relevance, as when tough protagonist Avigail argues that the invaders might actually be a boon to humanity: "I present as a black woman. How far do you think I would have gotten on this planet?" Probably a pretty compelling line when this came out, but less convincing now, and fingers crossed a full-blown blast from the past by next year. And if the twists in US politics could hardly have been foreseen, the awkward intersections with UK politics are of longer standing: the aliens are called the Devolution (despite their agenda being exactly the opposite), and apparently comics can never have too many sinister, powerful organisations called the Shadow Cabinet. Although, while Raffaele and Anderson's figures can feel static at times, their art does at least capture the cyberpunk grandeur of London's increasingly implausible centre.

(Netgalley ARC)

I was kind of confused the whole time, but game. Big fan of when the SLA slogan was introduced (though the organization in the book seems to be smarter. I don’t know enough about the art style to comment on it. Overall, I had enough fun, but this isn’t to my personal taste in comic books.

Ever wonder what would happen if aliens wanted to bring their ideal of control to the world. This is a story with two sides, and everyone wants to win. Lots of gore and death.

The art in this was so good, I loved all the face details. While I enjoyed some of this I also felt like the plot moved way too fast especially in the last 3 chapters and could have been developed more to have more impact. The plot was super interesting though so I would read future volumes.

Thanks to NetGalley and IDW Publishimg for granting me access to the eARC I exchange for an honest review.

Apparently this comic has about 5 volumes, this being the first, leaving an open and interesting ending so you can continue reading.

I was interested in the plot, it had some captivating twists that left me wanting to know a little more. I also felt it was a little brief and that I wanted to cover a lot in a few pages, but it is something that usually happens in comics. One gets used.

There's nothing that stands out much, it's just that there are scenes that are a bit heavy in terms of blood and that.

Thank you IDW Publishing for the ARC I read on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5
I wanted to like this much more, but I ended up only being okay with it. From the plot blurb, I was expecting something similar to the video game Control or The Commission from the Umbrella Academy. While The Ministry of Compliance does manage to get some of the elements of interesting strangeness from those series, it falls a bit flat for me. This story is VERY exposition-heavy. There is some action, but it's very vague and usually a single page worth. I did enjoy the aesthetics of The Ministries, and the character's designs. But this story focuses too much on telling and not enough on showing. Also, this is a tiny nitpick, but I really dislike the pages that are nothing but extreme close-ups of characters' faces during big exposition dumps. I like the ideas this story puts forward, but I'm meh on its execution.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was well drawn with a lot of slightly abstract gory violence (a *lot* of heads and limbs are severed), plus an interesting setting and complicated plot full of twists. The characters are well written and easily distinguished from one another for the most part and all their motivations mostly make sense.

My thanks to NetGalley and IDW publishing for an advance copy of this science fiction graphic novel that tells the story of aliens living among us, working in committees to make Earthlings more acceptable to the grand empire they work for, and what happens when board room politics become corporate takeovers.

As a long time fan of science fiction, the idea of life on alien planets has been a comfort to me. Looking around at this world we have made, really can an invasion from the stars be worse. At the same time I do feel rather unsettled. What if these extra terrestrials are very much like us. With a love of control, having meetings to discuss control, how to finance control. And of course full of boardroom politics that makes modern business such a mess. How to make more money, how to claim more credit, how to finance things, and who to send the torturers out to make sure everyone is in compliance. Actually this does explain why this country is so weird recently. If only we had a group to handle these problems, as there is in the graphic novel. The Ministry of Compliance, Vol. 1 by award-winning screen and comic writer John Ridley, with illustrations by Stefano Raffaele is a story of a Earth under siege, though only a few know it, with various sides fighting for power, with constantly changing allegiances.

Thirty-seven years before this comic starts the Earth was invaded by a group of aliens called the Devolution. Their job, which has taken much longer than expected is to get the Earth ready to join the vast Galactic Empire they work for. To do this different committees, known as ministrys have been set up, workers, finance, transportation and the like. One of the most powerful is the Ministry of Compliance which oversees the others, making sure things are done right, with swift judgement for those who make errors. The leader of the Ministry is Avigail Senna, who is slowly becoming aware that things are starting to go wrong. Ministries are acting a little too free, too many people seem to be aware of the Devolution, and their have been a few attempts on her life. The rot though goes far deeper, soon the Ministries are cut off, and the only transportation off-world is taken away. And sides are shifting faster that Avigail can swing her sword at.

An interesting premise, a mix of Philip K. Dick, meets Wall Street or Succession, with a lot of violence. The idea that Earth is conquered doesn't know it, and doesn't seem to care is not a new one, but the added bureaucracy to run things adds something uniquely 21st American to the story, a War of the Worlds with WeWork suppling the coworking space. The characters are interesting, and the dialogue really snaps. Avigail is a very good character, a tough fighter, who might trust a little too much. There is an interesting subplot with children of alien and human parents, along with some really good ideas about how an invasion of an area can be kept to quiet. The ending though seems a little rushed, the Netflix-syndrome of not being sure one can complete the story might be part of it, as their seemed to be a lot of coups, countercoups and more. The art is really good, violent when needed, with a lot of brightness and very detailed backgrounds. The little things like the characters suits, the cars, all looked really great, and help with the story.

Lots of fun, and I hope these adventures continue as there is a lot of backstory I would like to know more about. Avigail's sword, how they invaded, more about the Devolution. A story well worth complying with.

IDW Publishing provided an early galley for review.

I had not previously heard of this five issue miniseries, yet the story concept sounded intriguing and the cover looked dynamic. This would be something that would grab my attention on the comic shelves.

Inside, the story wastes no time diving into the action, and what brutal action it is! Ridley and Raffaele are pulling no punches here. The protagonist is the ultimate bad ass. As she says "I am the Minister of Compliance. I'm sure I'm right because whatever I believe is right." This viewpoint and attitude give her carte blanche to do whatever she determines is needed to get the job done.

I always appreciate artists who take the time to get facial details consistent and provide solid backgrounds throughout. Raffaele's work makes this a very beautiful read.

While the narrative could stand as-is, I will be curious to see where the story goes in future volumes should they occur.