The Myth of 8-Opus
Tom Scioli's debut self-published cosmic fantasy epic—a Xeric Grant-winning saga of gods, snake-like Sons of Nashek, and a universe-spanning conflict that launched a singular cartooning career.
📖 Thomas Scioli Publishing • Started 2000
The Myth of 8-Opus is where it all began. Before Gødland, before Transformers vs. G.I. Joe, before the graphic biographies and the Godzilla mash-ups, there was 8-Opus—Tom Scioli’s first-born cosmic superbeing, arriving on the page fully formed in the image of Jack Kirby’s New Gods.
Scioli self-published this five-issue series in 2000–2001 after snagging the Xeric Grant in 1999, the prestigious self-publishing award founded by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Peter Laird. That grant money let Scioli print and distribute his vision entirely on his own terms—and that vision was pure, uncut, Kirby-channeling madness.
The story hurtles after the Children of Urdu, a race of gods locked in a universe-spanning conflict with the snake-like Sons of Nashek. At the center is 8-Opus himself—a cosmic hero in a star-speckled costume with a destiny he’s only beginning to grasp—and Daedalus, a god who has forgotten his past. Together they tumble into a war over the planet Rathangan, battling doppelgängers, navigating prophecies, and grappling with forces that threaten the entire universal order.
The series pulses with unapologetic Kirby energy—dense layouts, fist-pumping action, cosmic jargon, and characters who speak in exclamation points. Later issues included a pin-up gallery featuring art from industry legends Erik Larsen, Sal Buscema, Ron Frenz, Pat Olliffe, and Joe Sinnott—a testament to the respect Scioli had already earned from his peers.
After the initial five issues, Scioli returned to the series with additional one-shots and collections through his own A-Okay Comics imprint, including The Doomed Battalion (2003) and The Labyrinth (2009), which collected the original series. The work remains a holy grail for early Scioli completists and a thrilling document of a singular talent finding his voice.
Perfect for fans of Jack Kirby’s New Gods and The Eternals, Walter Simonson’s Thor, and anyone who wants to see where one of comics’ most distinctive modern voices first learned to roar.
Created by Tom Scioli.
