From Image Comics, bestselling writer Jason Aaron (Southern Bastards) and artist R.M. Guéra (Scalped) comes the dark biblical epic The Goddamned. Here’s my review of issue #1.
“And the earth was filled with violence.” Genesis 6:11 It’s 1,655 years after Eden, and life on Earth has already gone to hell. The world of man is a place of wanton cruelty and wickedness. Prehistoric monsters and stone-age marauders roam the land. Murder and destruction are the rule of the day. Humankind is a failed experiment. This is life before the Flood. The story of man on the verge of his first apocalypse. Welcome to the world of the Goddamned.
Oh my god. R.M. Guéra may have drawn the most badass, impressive and dizzying pages of his career in the debut issue of Jason Aaron’s biblical epic The Goddamned. If you are easily offended, if you are yourself a religious person – then you may need to think twice before diving into the world of The Goddamned. It’s a violent world where people curse freely, kill without mercy and murder like there’s no tomorrow. Aaron was right to caution readers that this book wouldn’t be for everyone, but for those of us that can take it — it’s a fucking goddamn masterpiece is what it is.
The gigantic set pieces, the furious action and desolate world of The Goddamned is illustrated spectacularly by R.M. Guera who in my opinion just delivered the most impressive art of the year by getting just as detailed and impressive as Sean Murphy got in the pages of Tokyo Ghost (another groundbreaking Image Comic which you must be reading). Aaron keeps the dialog to a minimum but it’s brilliant and directly to the point, only revealing who our naked and violent leading man is near the very end of issue 1. If that wasn’t enough, we’re introduced to yet another biblically famous character and potential villain (which is brilliant) as we wind to a close.
The Goddamned is gritty, fast-paced and looks amazing. If you’re a fan of classic series that aren’t afraid to take religion through the ringer (example. Preacher) then go to your local comic shops and put this on your pull list immediately. It’s hard to decide which debut was more impressive this year but The Goddamned issue 1 is right beside Tokyo Ghost issue 1 in terms of scope, writing and glorious visuals. Get it and embrace the biblical chaos.
Rating: [star rating=”5″]