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Self/Made #5
Self/Made #5
“LEAP OF FAITH” Deep in the forests of Brazil, Amala is on the cusp of exposing a shocking secret about the nature of reality. But the final step is the hardest… and it will cost her everything she holds dear.
- GenresComics
28 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 3, 2019
About the author
Mat Groom
98 books19 followersMat Groom is a writer from Sydney, Australia, where he works on branding and narrative development at the creative agency For The People and teaches open-to-the-public storytelling classes.
Self/Made is Mat’s solo comics writing debut.
Self/Made is Mat’s solo comics writing debut.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 5, 2026
Going into Issue #5, I already expected that this would be one of the most emotionally and philosophically driven chapters in the entire series. The previous issue left Amala and Rebecca at their breaking points. Their relationship, which had gradually become more strained throughout the story, finally reached a level where neither of them could truly understand the other anymore. Rebecca had sacrificed everything to save Amala, yet Amala continued to reject the answers Rebecca gave her because they were no longer enough. Instead of accepting the reality she had been introduced to, Amala chose to question everything around her. While Rebecca wanted nothing more than to protect the person she had created, Amala wanted the truth, even if discovering it meant abandoning the only person she had learned to trust. That emotional conflict immediately became the driving force that made me excited to read this issue because I wanted to know whether they would eventually reconcile or drift even further apart.
The cover perfectly captures the strange atmosphere that defines this issue. It features Amala levitating in what appears to be the hands of Nee, the mysterious Skrellian introduced earlier in the series. Her robotic body appears lifeless, almost as if she is surrendering herself to something beyond human understanding. Behind her is an enormous god-like figure rendered with surreal, psychedelic imagery that immediately caught my attention. I absolutely loved the color palette. The vibrant combination of yellow, orange, pink, violet, magenta, and teal creates an almost hypnotic visual effect, while Amala's blue and gray body stands out beautifully against the colorful background. It is one of those covers that tells a story before you even open the comic. Initially, I assumed this meant Amala would seek out Nee again after their previous encounter, but the issue ultimately took a very different direction that I honestly did not expect.
Instead of immediately continuing Amala's story, the issue introduces an entirely new character named Rafael. At first, I was surprised because almost half of the opening focuses solely on him. Normally, I would have found this shift distracting, but Mat Groom writes Rafael in such an intriguing way that I quickly became invested in his story. Rafael lives in a remote, isolated part of the world, far removed from the towering futuristic cities shown throughout the series. Hidden beneath this quiet environment is an advanced research facility where he has spent years obsessing over one impossible question: What if reality itself is fake?
I found Rafael fascinating because he mirrors Amala's own existential crisis from a completely different perspective. Unlike Amala, who questions reality because she literally escaped from a fantasy video game, Rafael arrives at the same conclusion through scientific research. His obsession began after an unusual experience involving Ayahuasca, a psychedelic substance that caused him to encounter what appeared to be a god-like being. Initially, I questioned whether what he experienced was simply a hallucination, but the story gradually introduces evidence that makes his experience much harder to dismiss.
One of the most interesting aspects of this issue is how science and spirituality become intertwined. Rafael and his colleagues, Luana and Marcos, discovered mysterious patterns that resembled electrical impulses or Morse code transmitted through the stars themselves. Luana theorized that these signals could somehow be translated into instructions capable of interacting directly with the human brain. Together, they built a machine that could replicate these impulses. Their first successful experiment involved a mouse, but instead of dying, the mouse simply vanished without a trace. This immediately transformed their research from scientific curiosity into something much larger. Rather than believing the mouse had been destroyed, they theorized that it had actually been transported outside the simulation itself.
This revelation completely changed the direction of the story for me. Up until now, Self/Made had been about an AI character escaping the fantasy world where she was created. Now the series suggests that perhaps nobody exists in the "real world" at all. Perhaps everyone is simply living inside another layer of simulation. That possibility immediately reminded me of stories like The Matrix and simulation theory, but Self/Made approaches the concept differently because the question is deeply personal rather than purely philosophical. Amala isn't trying to save humanity anymore. She's trying to discover whether humanity itself is even real.
What made Rafael's story especially heartbreaking was learning what happened to Luana and Marcos. Convinced that the device truly transported living beings beyond reality, both of them willingly activated the machine and disappeared just like the mouse before them. Rafael stayed behind. He couldn't bring himself to make the same decision because, despite believing in the experiment, he was terrified of dying. I found that incredibly human. It is easy to believe in something when someone else takes the risk, but facing that same uncertainty yourself is an entirely different matter. Rafael spends the remainder of the issue haunted by loneliness, regret, and recurring visions of the mysterious god-like figure. Whether these visions are supernatural, hallucinations, or manifestations of his guilt remains unclear, which only adds to the unsettling atmosphere of the story.
Eventually, Amala finds Rafael, and seeing the two of them finally meet was incredibly satisfying. For the first time, Amala encounters someone who doesn't dismiss her questions or treat her concerns as irrational. Rafael genuinely believes that the world around them may be another artificial construct, and that shared belief immediately creates an understanding between them. By this point, Amala also looks noticeably different. Her robotic body is heavily damaged, worn down by everything she has endured since escaping Arcadia. I loved this visual detail because it reflects both her physical journey and her emotional exhaustion. She is no longer the confident warrior introduced at the beginning of the series. She looks broken, tired, and desperate for answers.
Despite everything, it is obvious that Amala still feels guilty about leaving Rebecca behind. Even though she questioned Rebecca's motives, she never stopped caring about her. That emotional conflict becomes even more painful when the corporation finally catches up with them. Brycemere arrives alongside heavily armed police forces while holding Rebecca captive. The peaceful philosophical discussions immediately shift into a tense confrontation, and the issue suddenly becomes an intense action sequence without losing its emotional weight.
I was genuinely relieved when Rebecca and Amala finally reconciled before everything spiraled out of control. Rebecca finally reveals her true reason for creating Amala. She never wanted to create the perfect weapon or the perfect artificial intelligence. Instead, she wanted to create someone better than humanity itself—a being capable of compassion, growth, and hope beyond human limitations. Hearing her finally express those feelings made everything she had sacrificed throughout the series much more meaningful.
Unfortunately, that emotional moment is brutally interrupted by Brycemere. Rebecca's death completely shocked me. It happened so suddenly that I actually had to stop reading for a moment to process what had happened. After everything she endured, watching her die so senselessly was devastating. Brycemere's arrogance and obsession with control made me despise him even more than I already did. His actions perfectly represent the cruelty and fear that Rebecca had spent the entire series criticizing. Her death wasn't simply tragic—it reinforced one of the comic's central ideas that humanity often destroys the very things capable of making it better.
Amala's response impressed me as well. Rather than acting purely out of revenge or emotion, she remained logical. She chose to use Rafael's device in hopes of escaping before she, too, would be captured or killed. It was a heartbreaking decision because it meant abandoning everything she had finally begun to understand, yet it was also the only choice left available to her. Rafael's inability to join her was equally heartbreaking. Even after years of researching the machine and believing in its purpose, he still could not overcome his fear of death. That hesitation made his character feel incredibly realistic. Sometimes knowledge alone is not enough to overcome fear.
Eduardo Ferigato's artwork continues to be one of the strongest aspects of this series. The opening dream sequences are beautifully surreal, blending psychedelic imagery with subtle digital glitches that constantly blur the line between dreams, hallucinations, and reality. Throughout the issue, the artwork shifts effortlessly between quiet conversations, scientific mystery, emotional drama, and explosive action. The facial expressions remain particularly impressive, allowing characters like Rafael, Rebecca, and Amala to communicate fear, grief, determination, and exhaustion with very little dialogue. The coloring deserves equal praise because it continuously reinforces the emotional tone of each scene, from the warm yet unsettling visions to the cold, mechanical environments of the laboratory.
Overall, Issue #5 is easily one of my favorite chapters in Self/Made so far. It expands the series far beyond its original premise while delivering some of its strongest emotional moments. The philosophical questions surrounding simulation theory become even more compelling, Rafael proves to be an excellent addition to the cast, and Rebecca's tragic fate raises the stakes dramatically heading into the finale. Although I was devastated by Rebecca's death, I appreciated that the story never relied solely on shock value. Every major event contributes to the larger themes of identity, consciousness, grief, courage, and the search for truth. The final pages leave Amala's destination completely unknown, while Luana and Marcos remain an unresolved mystery, making me incredibly excited to see what lies on the other side of Rafael's machine. This issue perfectly balances emotional storytelling, thought-provoking science fiction, and thrilling action, leaving me eager to discover whether Amala has finally escaped reality—or simply entered another layer of it.
The cover perfectly captures the strange atmosphere that defines this issue. It features Amala levitating in what appears to be the hands of Nee, the mysterious Skrellian introduced earlier in the series. Her robotic body appears lifeless, almost as if she is surrendering herself to something beyond human understanding. Behind her is an enormous god-like figure rendered with surreal, psychedelic imagery that immediately caught my attention. I absolutely loved the color palette. The vibrant combination of yellow, orange, pink, violet, magenta, and teal creates an almost hypnotic visual effect, while Amala's blue and gray body stands out beautifully against the colorful background. It is one of those covers that tells a story before you even open the comic. Initially, I assumed this meant Amala would seek out Nee again after their previous encounter, but the issue ultimately took a very different direction that I honestly did not expect.
Instead of immediately continuing Amala's story, the issue introduces an entirely new character named Rafael. At first, I was surprised because almost half of the opening focuses solely on him. Normally, I would have found this shift distracting, but Mat Groom writes Rafael in such an intriguing way that I quickly became invested in his story. Rafael lives in a remote, isolated part of the world, far removed from the towering futuristic cities shown throughout the series. Hidden beneath this quiet environment is an advanced research facility where he has spent years obsessing over one impossible question: What if reality itself is fake?
I found Rafael fascinating because he mirrors Amala's own existential crisis from a completely different perspective. Unlike Amala, who questions reality because she literally escaped from a fantasy video game, Rafael arrives at the same conclusion through scientific research. His obsession began after an unusual experience involving Ayahuasca, a psychedelic substance that caused him to encounter what appeared to be a god-like being. Initially, I questioned whether what he experienced was simply a hallucination, but the story gradually introduces evidence that makes his experience much harder to dismiss.
One of the most interesting aspects of this issue is how science and spirituality become intertwined. Rafael and his colleagues, Luana and Marcos, discovered mysterious patterns that resembled electrical impulses or Morse code transmitted through the stars themselves. Luana theorized that these signals could somehow be translated into instructions capable of interacting directly with the human brain. Together, they built a machine that could replicate these impulses. Their first successful experiment involved a mouse, but instead of dying, the mouse simply vanished without a trace. This immediately transformed their research from scientific curiosity into something much larger. Rather than believing the mouse had been destroyed, they theorized that it had actually been transported outside the simulation itself.
This revelation completely changed the direction of the story for me. Up until now, Self/Made had been about an AI character escaping the fantasy world where she was created. Now the series suggests that perhaps nobody exists in the "real world" at all. Perhaps everyone is simply living inside another layer of simulation. That possibility immediately reminded me of stories like The Matrix and simulation theory, but Self/Made approaches the concept differently because the question is deeply personal rather than purely philosophical. Amala isn't trying to save humanity anymore. She's trying to discover whether humanity itself is even real.
What made Rafael's story especially heartbreaking was learning what happened to Luana and Marcos. Convinced that the device truly transported living beings beyond reality, both of them willingly activated the machine and disappeared just like the mouse before them. Rafael stayed behind. He couldn't bring himself to make the same decision because, despite believing in the experiment, he was terrified of dying. I found that incredibly human. It is easy to believe in something when someone else takes the risk, but facing that same uncertainty yourself is an entirely different matter. Rafael spends the remainder of the issue haunted by loneliness, regret, and recurring visions of the mysterious god-like figure. Whether these visions are supernatural, hallucinations, or manifestations of his guilt remains unclear, which only adds to the unsettling atmosphere of the story.
Eventually, Amala finds Rafael, and seeing the two of them finally meet was incredibly satisfying. For the first time, Amala encounters someone who doesn't dismiss her questions or treat her concerns as irrational. Rafael genuinely believes that the world around them may be another artificial construct, and that shared belief immediately creates an understanding between them. By this point, Amala also looks noticeably different. Her robotic body is heavily damaged, worn down by everything she has endured since escaping Arcadia. I loved this visual detail because it reflects both her physical journey and her emotional exhaustion. She is no longer the confident warrior introduced at the beginning of the series. She looks broken, tired, and desperate for answers.
Despite everything, it is obvious that Amala still feels guilty about leaving Rebecca behind. Even though she questioned Rebecca's motives, she never stopped caring about her. That emotional conflict becomes even more painful when the corporation finally catches up with them. Brycemere arrives alongside heavily armed police forces while holding Rebecca captive. The peaceful philosophical discussions immediately shift into a tense confrontation, and the issue suddenly becomes an intense action sequence without losing its emotional weight.
I was genuinely relieved when Rebecca and Amala finally reconciled before everything spiraled out of control. Rebecca finally reveals her true reason for creating Amala. She never wanted to create the perfect weapon or the perfect artificial intelligence. Instead, she wanted to create someone better than humanity itself—a being capable of compassion, growth, and hope beyond human limitations. Hearing her finally express those feelings made everything she had sacrificed throughout the series much more meaningful.
Unfortunately, that emotional moment is brutally interrupted by Brycemere. Rebecca's death completely shocked me. It happened so suddenly that I actually had to stop reading for a moment to process what had happened. After everything she endured, watching her die so senselessly was devastating. Brycemere's arrogance and obsession with control made me despise him even more than I already did. His actions perfectly represent the cruelty and fear that Rebecca had spent the entire series criticizing. Her death wasn't simply tragic—it reinforced one of the comic's central ideas that humanity often destroys the very things capable of making it better.
Amala's response impressed me as well. Rather than acting purely out of revenge or emotion, she remained logical. She chose to use Rafael's device in hopes of escaping before she, too, would be captured or killed. It was a heartbreaking decision because it meant abandoning everything she had finally begun to understand, yet it was also the only choice left available to her. Rafael's inability to join her was equally heartbreaking. Even after years of researching the machine and believing in its purpose, he still could not overcome his fear of death. That hesitation made his character feel incredibly realistic. Sometimes knowledge alone is not enough to overcome fear.
Eduardo Ferigato's artwork continues to be one of the strongest aspects of this series. The opening dream sequences are beautifully surreal, blending psychedelic imagery with subtle digital glitches that constantly blur the line between dreams, hallucinations, and reality. Throughout the issue, the artwork shifts effortlessly between quiet conversations, scientific mystery, emotional drama, and explosive action. The facial expressions remain particularly impressive, allowing characters like Rafael, Rebecca, and Amala to communicate fear, grief, determination, and exhaustion with very little dialogue. The coloring deserves equal praise because it continuously reinforces the emotional tone of each scene, from the warm yet unsettling visions to the cold, mechanical environments of the laboratory.
Overall, Issue #5 is easily one of my favorite chapters in Self/Made so far. It expands the series far beyond its original premise while delivering some of its strongest emotional moments. The philosophical questions surrounding simulation theory become even more compelling, Rafael proves to be an excellent addition to the cast, and Rebecca's tragic fate raises the stakes dramatically heading into the finale. Although I was devastated by Rebecca's death, I appreciated that the story never relied solely on shock value. Every major event contributes to the larger themes of identity, consciousness, grief, courage, and the search for truth. The final pages leave Amala's destination completely unknown, while Luana and Marcos remain an unresolved mystery, making me incredibly excited to see what lies on the other side of Rafael's machine. This issue perfectly balances emotional storytelling, thought-provoking science fiction, and thrilling action, leaving me eager to discover whether Amala has finally escaped reality—or simply entered another layer of it.
July 5, 2019
I don’t know if it’s because I know it’s almost over, and I’m curious how it ends, but I’m in it for the long haul now. Despite some more dialogue mistakes, this was a pretty good issue. 3.5 stars.
November 16, 2019
Issue was alright, but I preferred the past issues.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews