Gott Gauss review

When I started reading the first pages of this manga at webcomicsnation.com what really stood out is the 'European' outlook of life, and with further research I find that in fact, the authors are German, Bruno Cotting with the story and Viviane with the pencils and ink.

I really recommend reading this webmanga at its original site http://gottgauss.viviane.ch/, for a better visual experience.

This is the story of Selt Brander, a depressed man in his mid-twenties. Barely living in an appartment the size of a room, he is a forensic scientist that gets fired because he suspects too much of a series of corpses that die for the same cause: poisoning. There's a conspiracy brewing around him and he's not even aware of it.

His only contact with the world is through a computer, and that's how he knows Garla, his love interest, only that he's also not aware of it since Garla presents herself as a man in that chatroom and he presents himself as a woman.

Garla is a prostitute that also functions as a drug dealer for her pimp boyfriend, who constantly abuses and beats her, she finds herself in a turmoil, and her only consolation is the computer.

One day, something incredible happens as Brander is in his bed about to sleep. The computer starts talking to him despite being turned off. The chat dialog says that it is Gott Gauss, the God of Probability. He can't believe it and thinks that he's losing his mind due to his depression. The very same happens to Garla, who doesn't know what to think or do.

Days after, a mysterious medallion appears before each one's computers. The medallion speaks and confirms that it is in fact Gott Gauss, the God of Probability who is there to protect them.

I don't know if it's done intentionally or not, but the story reflects perfectly the times we're living in, almost as Kafka did with The Process and the Pre-War Germany. We can identify with a depressed protagonist with a job that he feels he can go beyond that, and the same goes for Garla, who I'm sure has much potential but she can't get out of her own abuse cycle.

The style of the lineart is compelling and beautiful, the backgrounds are relatively vague, but help create a depressed times atmosphere. We get the feeling that this is an alienated, cold society with no space or opportunities for anyone, unless you are in the rat race, of course.

This webmanga is the proof that the European style of storytelling is perfectly compatible with the manga style, despite the claims of the naysayers that the manga style is just too superficial.

The comic is available in English, German and French.