What do you think?
Rate this book
The Aggregate #1
The Aggregate
One thousand years after he attempted to wipe out the people of earth, The Man and Valerius, a ghost from a past he can barely remember, now race across a post-apocalyptic world towards his deactivated giant robot killing-machine, The Aggregate. The truth is, neither Valerius or The Man know what’s going to happen when they arrive at The Aggregate. If his newfound humanity is as strong as she believes it is, perhaps The Man will use his powers to finally secure the earth’s future. If she’s wrong, and his hardwiring wins the battle, then at least she will finally know that The Man is nothing more than The Aggregate, a soulless shell that she must destroy…
THE AGGREGATE is no ordinary comic book...
This is a SPLIT DECISION COMIC!
That means YOU are in charge of the characters decisions, responses, actions and sometimes even their DEATHS! Ultimately YOU are in control of where the entire story
goes, for BETTER or WORSE!
THE AGGREGATE is no ordinary comic book...
This is a SPLIT DECISION COMIC!
That means YOU are in charge of the characters decisions, responses, actions and sometimes even their DEATHS! Ultimately YOU are in control of where the entire story
goes, for BETTER or WORSE!
- GenresComicsGraphic Novels
240 pages, Paperback
First published April 18, 2017
31 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 22, 2017
Ben does a great job at world building without spoon-feeding everything to the reader. He does great job story telling with the Split Decisions, ala Choose Your Own Adventure. It pays off for the reader in that you learn completely different things about the world and the characters through the different decisions trees. The art is well polished and the colors pop for a post apocalyptic world. This is a definitely a must read. I found myself anxiously waiting for volume 2 to see where the story goes.
April 19, 2017
Thoroughly enjoying The Aggregate. On first read, my story is left "To be continued..." in the next volume, but I have several re-reads ahead of me with different paths to take at each "split decision."
The artwork is entrancing and full of wonder as the story is captivating. And the coloring ... fantastic and as much a part of the book as the characters. Plus, spider cats! The Split Decision matrix seems flawless so far and I dig the "choose your own adventure" feel of this comic. I'm looking forward to exploring again and again the post-apocalyptic world that Ben Bishop has created. "Where's my cat?!"
The artwork is entrancing and full of wonder as the story is captivating. And the coloring ... fantastic and as much a part of the book as the characters. Plus, spider cats! The Split Decision matrix seems flawless so far and I dig the "choose your own adventure" feel of this comic. I'm looking forward to exploring again and again the post-apocalyptic world that Ben Bishop has created. "Where's my cat?!"
April 22, 2017
Goodreads asks how many times I've read this book, and with The Aggregate, where do you begin? It's the first of Ben Bishop's ambitious Split Decision Comics, graphic novels that function in the spirit of old choose-your-own-adventure books, where pivotal decisions are made by the reader, leading to different endings and "to be continued..." (it is a volume one, after all). But The Aggregate goes beyond CYOA in that every re-read, every decision path, actually illuminates more and more about this post-apocalyptic world. You won't stop after one read-through, nor should you.
Beyond the unique format of storytelling, there's a lot to love about this book. It's a post-apocalyptic tale that starts in a near(ish) future that could pretty believably be our own. What eventually happens in an increasingly automated world where humans continue to consume shrinking planetary resources without restraint? The characters that populate the story are intriguing, often with motivations that aren't yet fully clear. Bishop's art is exciting, polished, and it's clear how much effort is put into character design that ensures each person, place, or thing is recognizable and unique. There's motion in this art, from the line work to the fantastic and varied use of paneling to move the action along. All of this is enhanced with vivid colors by Brittany Peer, who has a knack for lighting in particular; the choice to use bright, intense colors is a bold one in the post-apocalyptic genre where bland, miserable sandy tones tend to dominate, but it pays off as yet another feature that makes this book so original.
If none of the above has enticed you yet, know that in the future, there are giant spider-cats that you can ride on and fight with, and yes, that is as awesome as it sounds. "Where's my cat?!" is my new battle cry.
I can't wait for Volume Two.
Beyond the unique format of storytelling, there's a lot to love about this book. It's a post-apocalyptic tale that starts in a near(ish) future that could pretty believably be our own. What eventually happens in an increasingly automated world where humans continue to consume shrinking planetary resources without restraint? The characters that populate the story are intriguing, often with motivations that aren't yet fully clear. Bishop's art is exciting, polished, and it's clear how much effort is put into character design that ensures each person, place, or thing is recognizable and unique. There's motion in this art, from the line work to the fantastic and varied use of paneling to move the action along. All of this is enhanced with vivid colors by Brittany Peer, who has a knack for lighting in particular; the choice to use bright, intense colors is a bold one in the post-apocalyptic genre where bland, miserable sandy tones tend to dominate, but it pays off as yet another feature that makes this book so original.
If none of the above has enticed you yet, know that in the future, there are giant spider-cats that you can ride on and fight with, and yes, that is as awesome as it sounds. "Where's my cat?!" is my new battle cry.
I can't wait for Volume Two.
May 28, 2019
Delivering something fresh and engaging, Bishop's and Peer's split decision comic doesn't function like any other graphic story out there. Set at various time periods in a post-apocalyptic world, the reader's decisions shape the course of the story as the adventure unfolds and questions are answered. Though there are different outcomes from the decisions, many of the choices provide different courses through a single, interwove narrative. Each layer provides new information--and new questions--as vol. 1 of this story builds to explosive conflicts and new possibilities.
May 8, 2017
Reading a split decision comic is honestly one of the best new things that made me feel like a kid again. I've read this now three times (choosing different endings) and I finished each time anticipating the next book already. The character development, story lines as well as the art that Bishop created is super nostalgic, incredible and detailed. I'll certainly be recommending this to my comic shop as well as all of my peers.
September 29, 2020
I got way too many comics at Emerald City Comic Con and FINALLY caught up on a few. The Aggregate is a FANTASTIC choose-your-own-adventure adult comic. Really great writing and art. Highly recommend. 🙌
May 5, 2019
Confusing, but very interesting once you get the hang of it. Very unique format for a graphic novel
Read
April 17, 2018I'm very confused but the premise seemed interesting. guess I need volume 2 to find out where the choices go.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews