By Chris Tresson
Next week sees the release of Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw's God Country #2 which is being published by Image Comics. Luckily for me, Donny was kind enough to send me a copy of the book early (Thanks, Donny!) which I was absolutely thrilled about because I loved the first issue of it. So without further ado, let’s find out what I thought of the issue…
C’mon now, really? Are you kidding me with this one? I fucking loved the first issue, it had everything I wanted and then some and now this issue… this issue is just as fucking great as the first one!
I had my own ideas about where the story was going before reading the issue but Donny threw me a bit of a curve-ball with what he’s written... It did go the way I thought it was going to, just not in the way I thought it would. It was more drawn out than I thought it would’ve been but with a series like this, I don’t mind that. I want it to be drawn out. I like the world this creative team are building here and I would like to stay in it for as long as I can.
I think I said it about the first issue but I’ll say it again, there’s a lot of heart in this story. A lot of feelings and just the right amount of magic and whimsy to keep it grounded and away from that completely ludicrous area of comics where the likes of Grant Morrison and Alan Moore flourish… Not that that area is a bad place to be, but it can be if you’re not a Morrison or a Moore, haha.
On the art side of things, I’m really loving the art teams efforts on this series so far. Geoff Shaw’s art fits so well and there are loads of great panels and moments which have been captured already. For me, though, it’s colorist Jason Wordie who I feel plays a critical role in the success of the book. His color work is intense and goes perfectly with Shaw’s artwork that it just makes the whole thing a pleasure to stare at. I haven’t seen a bad panel yet. Keep it up, lads!
The journey towards the end of the book is great, and I really liked the final few pages of this. I really don’t want to be calling Donny Cates, Geoff Shaw and Jason Wordie all the bastards, but I will for that ending because all I wanted to do was see what happens next. I love when comics do that to me just as much as I hate when comics do that to me, and if you feel the same way, whatever you’re reading is probably a great book. Keep reading it when you can. Buy the single issues. Buy the trades. Do whatever you can to help keep that series alive.
In closing, buy this fucking book. It’s ace. You’ll love it and you’ll find yourself with a new favorite series and a book to look forward to each month. If you missed the first issue, you are forgiven for being such an idiot and you are offered a shot a redemption because there’s a second printing of the first issue out on the same day as this issue comes out… I realize that some of you probably tried to get the first issue and it was sold out by the time you got there… be faster this time because I wouldn’t be surprised if the first issue goes for a third printing.
Now that you’ve read the review, go get your camping gear and sit outside your local comic shop until next Wednesday. You don’t want to miss out on this series.
SCORE: 5/5
God Country #2
Writer: Donny Cates
Artist: Geoff Shaw
Colorist: Jason Wordie
Publisher: Image Comics