The Ministry of Compliance, Vol. 1

by John Ridley, Stefano Raffaele (Illustrator)

The Devolution’s invasion of Earth will be thwarted by coups and conspiracy unless Avigail can unite her extraterrestrial brethren. Comics’ next sci-fi epic begins in this oversized series from John Ridley.

Thirty-seven years ago, Earth was secretly invaded by an alien force known as the Devolution, and they’ve been shaping the direction of humanity ever since. Why? To prepare us to be assimilated into their empire…

The Devolution has 13 ministries, each responsible for manipulating a different aspect of human life. The Ministry of Compliance, the most feared of all the ministries, led by the fierce Avigail Senna, keeps every ministry in line and focused on the empire’s mission. Just as their mission is on the verge of success and Earth is about to be assimilated, the empire suffers a horrific blow.

For the survival of her people and herself, Avigail must rally the ministries together. A feat made near impossible as tensions and conspiracies run rampant.

Eisner Award–nominated filmmaker and critically acclaimed comic book writer John Ridley ( The Other History of the DC Universe, I Am Batman ) and acclaimed artist Stefano Rafael ( The Joker, The Blue Wall ) deliver a bold, new vision of science fiction with MINISTRY OF COMPLIANCE .

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

168 pages, Paperback

Published August 20, 2024

About the author

John Ridley IV (born October 1965)[2] is an American screenwriter, television director, novelist, and showrunner, known for 12 Years a Slave, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He is also the creator and showrunner of the critically acclaimed anthology series American Crime. His most recent work is the documentary film Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982–1992.


Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name.

Reviews

[Paz · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Emily Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.4 ⭐️ A fun concept that got a bit lost along the way.

First of all I did enjoy this enough that I do want to read the next, but not enough to grab a hard copy. It’s a solid read but the last third was poorly paced and erratic.

It makes it hard to know who to route for, or even what is going on at times, because there are so many plot twists thrown at you in the last 50 or so pages.

Saying that I did love the main character, and she is the sole reason I would love to read another volume. There’s an intriguing story there and complex characters, but Lord doth that pacing need work.

Rep// Black MC, BIPOC MC/SCs, SC with limb difference.

TWs listed below, please skip if you don’t want vague spoilers.






TW// torture (on page), suffocation, guns, explosions, gore, removal of limbs and decapitation, vomiting, themes of grooming, oppression of alien/human people, blade injuries from swords etc, blood, bodies, murder, death.

[Martin Maenza · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Leonor Ñañez · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, I need to thank Edelweiss for the review copy of this comic book. And the author, John Ridley.

The drawings are amazing, the colours are shocking and attractive. They go hand in hand with the main characters' mood and personality. The story is not new, we always imagine an alien civilization from far away that tries to conquer planet Earth, but what I liked here is the organization behind this force, the ideas, the politics and, of course the action. The whole structure of the ministries is really intriguing and we all want to know more about them.

There's a lot of slasher scenes, some gore... Nevertheless, I was expecting a bit more of action from Avigail because she's a strong main female character, a true bad*ss.
This comic is a page turner, so I can't wait to read the rest of the volumes.

Antes que nada quisiera agradecer a Edelweiss por el ejemplar para reseñar y al autor John Ridley, por supuesto.
Los dibujos son increíbles, los colores son impactantes y atractivos. Van de la mano con el carácter y personalidad de los protagonistas principales. La historia no es nueva, siempre imaginamos una civilización alienígena que intenta conquistar el planeta Tierra, pero lo que me gustó es la organización detrás de esta fuerza, las ideas, la política y por supuesto, la acción. Toda la estructura de los ministerios es realmente intrigante y nos deja con ganas de saber más.

Hay varias escenas sangrientas y cruentas, sin embargo esperaba un poco más de acción de parte de Avigail porque es un personaje femenino fuerte, que realmente sabe patear traseros. Este cómic es adictivo, así que no puedo esperar a leer los siguientes tomos.

[Alex Sarll]

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)

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

I enjoyed this series, compiling 5 comics into a single arc. It was original, had plenty of twists and turns, and was engaging throughout. My only quibble is that the end of this first volume came very fast and overly abrupt.

Story: The Devolutionists have come to Earth to destabilize governments and prepare for a take over. They look and act like Earthers - will all their weaknesses and strengths. One of the most powerful is Avigail - head of the Ministry of Compliance. Her job is simple: in the years-long time it will take to accomplish their aims, Avigail ensures that the various ministers do not become corrupt or complacent. She is rock solid, loyal to a fault - and absolutely deadly. Now 38 years into a mission that should have taken 16, the Devolutionists are dealing with their own infighting and interracial children. When word comes that the leader on their homeplanet has been removed and communication cut off, they aren't sure what to do - leave or stay, fight or flee. Because it appears the Earthers might just know they are there. Complicating things is a whole generation of half-Earther/half Devolutioner children who play a double sided game.

It is an intriguing concept that is handled well. The vibe is Men in Black or The Matrix with the Devolutionists at times feeling a bit too "Mr. Smith" at times. But each is drawn and portrayed very distinctly which helped a lot with character distinction and credibility. Main character Avigail is nuanced and not a killing machine (that she would like to think she is). New assistant Kingsley is suitably ambiguous - both hard and strong, motivated yet ambivalent.

This is graphically violent with good visuals and strong paneling. The action was easy to follow and the book neither too wordy nor needing more narration. The graphics added to the story as one would hope with a graphic novel.

I was fully invested right up until the ending - then things suddenly shifted without much in the way of explanation or even a bit of foreshadowing. I'll be curious to see where it goes in future volumes but really wish the end of this first arc didn't feel so rushed and sudden. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Queen Coloman · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the premise of this story is fascinating, it completely lacks any internal logic. We are told, bluntly and repeatedly, that the Devolution is this unstoppable, planet-conquering force but from the very start they are shown to be weak, disorganised, posturing idiots stumbling ineffectively towards their own demise.

All the characters, from the central protagonists through to the peripheral seat fillers, make decisions for no apparent reason than to give the artist the chance to draw another sword fight scene. Their personalities, histories and abilities are told instead of shown. They are *theoretically* engaged in a complex game of manipulation and betrayal, but their most sophisticated plans involve walking blindly forward so other people can shoot at them. (Which is fine for the handful who are protected by plot armour, but sucks for the hundreds of others. I kid you not - hundreds of advanced aliens who inexplicably charge into open axe-vs-gun battle and are surprised I guess that they died?)

Overall, this reminded me of a story a child might make up - lots of cool fight scenes stacked on top of each other without consistency or cohesion. If earth ever is invaded, I hope it’s by these guys because we’ll all be just fine.

[Darius Ostrowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, quite a shocking little escapade, cannot wait until the next collection.

Aliens live among us, sowing the seeds of discord and letting us do all of the hard work required to allow them to take over, as they have done on other worlds. For almost 40 years they have been here in the shadows, and they are getting pretty close to "devolution", the assimilation of our planet into the empire.

But the work here is quite boring and bureaucratic, the aliens have ministries to divide up the drudgery, all in fear of the Ministry of Compliance, the secret police keeping all of the aliens in line and on task, led by the fearful Avigail Senna, a true believer in serving the empire.

But the leader on the home planet has been "recalled". The codes to leave the planet have been stolen. And it seems like there are other factions working against Avigail, not to mention the "biracials" who are half human, half alien, who have their own agenda...

What is actually happening? Who can be trusted? And will Avigail survive her assassins with her belief intact?

Great execution of a common story: the coloring, the action, the betrayals. Waiting for volume 2.

[Katharine · Rating 3 out of 5]

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!

[Stephen Ede-Borrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

If ever there was a graphic novel screaming out to become a TV series this is it (although it might be good to tone down the gore a bit so as not to offend sensitive viewers!)

Interesting storyline that, perhaps, could benefit from a future volume in the series - perhaps vol. 3 or 4? - giving a detailed back story to expand the overview here. An undoubtedly gory book with a plot that is more complex than in many similar types, albeit that the underlying premise (read the book blurb - much easier than me trying to explain it here) is certainly not new even if this is a new take on it.

Well formed characters with numerous, often conflicting, motives and a plot that is so obviously intended to go much further .

I thoroughly enjoyed this and I really hope that the series does continue.

[Katelin Campbell · Rating 2 out of 5]

See more reviews at Spellbound Reviews

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.

[MaguiWorld · Rating 3 out of 5]

Al parecer este comic tiene como 5 tomos, este siendo el primero deja un final abierto e interesante para poder seguir leyendo.

Me intereso la trama, tuvo algunos giros atrapantes y que me dejaban con ganas de saber un poco más. Tambien lo sentí un poco breve y que quería abarcar mucho en pocas paginas, pero es algo que suele suceder en los comics. Uno se acostumbra.

No hay nada que pueda destacar mucho, solo que hay escenas un poco fuertes en cuanto a sangre y eso.

Gracias IDW Publishing por el ARC que lei en NetGalley a cambio de una reseña honesta.

[Wolky · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concept of the alien infiltration failing internally without human intervention is interesting on its own. Telling the story from the perspective of those aliens and the biracial human alien hybrids is also pretty cool, so it was worth reading for sure. That said, the action isn't really drawn, we just get still frames of destruction, and characters never really change, it's just who's in control that seems to change. After it's clear that we're in the thriller conspiracy genre, it becomes obvious when the double-crosses are coming. Future volume might build off of this one though.

[Sem · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the initial idea here, of an invading alien race being just a bunch of bureucratic-type cells that squabble with one another, and the breakdown of that structure. However, the story does go quickly into the "twist - untwist - double twist" territory, where plot points don't really get to breathe much. The fifth issue in particular seems very rushed and the, erm, uneven art doesn't help keep up with the story. Could still develop into a greater book though, I have faith.

[gaby.readsbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy.

[Ije the Devourer of Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Chuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Larrypalooza · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a fun read, with a violent take on the alien invasion via embedded manipulation concept. Fans of John Wick or apex samurai type characters will really enjoy the visuals.

The end doesn’t satisfy the means though. More cool than thought provoking.

[Matty Dub · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great arc, despite a pretty rushed last issue.’

[Dean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read the first issue and it wasn't for me. So much exposition.
End twist was good.

[Sophy · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Kami Mauldin · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Rafael Suleiman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good graphic novel.

[Mee Too · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find it hard to believe that this can get better in vol 2. I also just realized i don't really like this authors writing style. It feels lazy and unoriginal and unorganized for some reason.

2.9🌟

[Tuấn Khang · Rating 4 out of 5]

love this book, intrigued premise with tons of twists along the way. hope they'll continue with vol 2 soon!

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the story! I found it kept drawing me in and had unexpected twists and turns. I also love the emotional decision making over rational decision making - even though this got a little cheesy. The art wasn’t bad but nothing special. Unique art would’ve pushed this to a 4 for me. I hope they release a vol 2 soon!