Anomaly (graphic novel)

Lore & Background

The story begins with Jon, an Enforcer of the Conglomerate, disgraced by a genocide he permitted. He is assigned as bodyguard to Samantha, a Conglomerate official's stepdaughter, who leads an expedition to Anomaly for peaceful first contact. A native bacterium destroys most of the expedition's machinery, leading to their capture by Muties and then recapture by the People. Jon challenges and vanquishes the warlord Caderyn, then is asked by prophetess Dagda to unite the native species against the Muties under their new leader Erebos.

Reader's Guide

Anomaly is notable for its integration of augmented reality, allowing readers to view 3D images and hear audio recordings of in-universe names via a program installed on handheld computers. The narrative explores themes of unity and conflict among diverse species, including Gigantus, Breeds, People, Moncs, and others. The appendices detail the Conglomerate's history and the religion of Anomaly, which follows a prophet named Dlotinus and resembles Taoist mysticism. The story concludes with Jon planning to disarm the Conglomerate by spreading the bacterium that consumed his own people's technology.

Did You Know?

• The graphic novel includes augmented reality elements that allow readers to view 3D images and hear audio recordings.
• The story features multiple hominoid species, including the invisible-when-immobile Moncs and the triple-headed Kerberos.
• Dinosaurs such as Homalocephale and Pachycephalosaurus appear as steeds or mounts.
• The appendices recount the Conglomerate's history and the religion of Anomaly, which follows a prophet named Plotinus.

Narrative Arc and Central Conflict

The story opens with Jon, a disgraced Enforcer in the corporate Conglomerate, burdened by a genocide he allowed to proceed. Reassigned as bodyguard to Samantha, a Conglomerate official's stepdaughter, he accompanies her expedition to Planet Anomaly, where peaceful first contact is the stated objective. That hope shatters when a native bacterium devours most of the group's machinery. The stranded team is captured by the Muties, then recaptured by the quasi-Celtic People. Ordered to submit to warlord Caderyn or fight him, Jon chooses combat and wins. Prophetess Dagda then discloses that the Muties, under new leader Erebos, intend to annihilate every neighboring species, and she tasks Jon with uniting the warring natives against them. Guided by Caderyn and Aine, Dagda's pupil, Jon builds that coalition while Samantha and polymath Tonni strengthen the People's counter-offensive. Erebos, in turn, plots to steal the Earthlings' Space Shuttle for a broader invasion. The climax sees the Mutie army destroyed and Erebos killed by Jon and Dagda, bringing peace to Anomaly. In the celebration that follows, Jon quietly resolves to spread the same bacterium that destroyed his people's technology, intending to disarm the Conglomerate itself.

The Inhabitants of Planet Anomaly

Planet Anomaly is an Earthlike world teeming with a remarkable diversity of hominoid species, each with distinct physical traits and cultural roles. The Gigantus are strongly built, hairless, and notably solitary, while the Moncs are smaller, more squat, and the most civilized of the natives, possessing the ability to become invisible when they remain still. The People, who appear identical to Earthly humans, live in a quasi-Celtic society and count the Slow Walkers—taller, Maasai-like beings who periodically shed their skins—as peacetime allies. The Breeds are meter-high, partly furred primatoids, and the Bloksus are described as the strongest species on the planet, squat and sharp-toothed, with a social habit of drinking. The Nikdo serve as scavengers, tolerated only for consuming dead bodies, while the Teana are small, blue-skinned nomads. At the top of the size range stand the Nolac, or Cave Demons, ferocious ungulates reaching five to six meters, armed with sharp teeth and opposable thumbs. The Kerberos, allies of the Muties, are the tallest named species, appearing to have triple heads due to a multiplicity of sense-organs. The Muties themselves form a highly varied collection of species that antagonize all other inhabitants. Mesozoic-era reptiles, including Pachycephalosaurus, Oviraptor, and numerous theropods, appear throughout as mounts.

The Conglomerate and Dystopian Worldbuilding

The narrative is framed by the Conglomerate, a cabal of business corporations that rules a dystopian, interplanetary human society. Jon's role as an Enforcer—a soldier in the Conglomerate's service—establishes the military-industrial apparatus underpinning this corporate regime. His disgrace stems from permitting a genocide, a detail that underscores the moral corruption embedded in the system. The expedition to Anomaly is ostensibly a diplomatic mission, yet it is led by Samantha, a Conglomerate official's stepdaughter, suggesting that even first contact is entangled with corporate hierarchy and political maneuvering. The book's appendices expand this worldbuilding by recounting the Conglomerate's history in detail and describing Anomaly's principal religion, which centers on a prophet named Dlotinus. Dlotinus is compared to Socrates or Confucius in his role, yet the faith itself resembles Taoist mysticism in character. The story's final beat reinforces the anti-corporate theme: after establishing peace, Jon resolves to weaponize the native bacterium against the Conglomerate's own technology, effectively planning to dismantle the power structure that created and discarded him.

Format Innovation and Augmented Reality

Published in 2012, Anomaly distinguishes itself as a graphic novel that incorporates augmented reality elements, a relatively novel approach for the medium at the time. Written by Brian Haberlin and illustrated by Skip Brittenham, the book includes a program that, when installed on certain hand-held computers, allows readers to view a three-dimensional—and sometimes animated—rendering of a particular page's illustration on screen. This digital layer is accompanied by audio recordings that speak the in-universe name of the depicted subject, adding an auditory dimension to the reading experience. Importantly, the creators note that none of this augmented content is indispensable to the story; the narrative stands fully on its own without the technological add-on. The book also features appendices that provide deeper lore, detailing the Conglomerate's history and the religious traditions of Anomaly. Together, these elements position Anomaly as an experiment in blending traditional sequential art with interactive digital media, offering readers an optional immersive layer without compromising the integrity of the printed text.