“God Country” #2

This series kicked off last month in a suitably epic way, but can it continue that momentum? Read on for our review, which contains mild spoilers.

Written by Donny Cates
Illustrated by Geoff Shaw

As Emmett Quinlan attempts to rebuild his family and his home after the devastating tornado that broke them, something otherworldly screams through the sky under a banner of WAR. The GODS have come to Texas– and they do not intend to leave it empty handed.

Even the cover cannot contain how epic this series is becoming. In order to accommodate an appropriately sized title for the content within, the whole cover is flipped on its side, not only making it stand out on shelves but really capturing just how epic this book really is. There were hints in the narration of issue 1 about just how far this series has to go on its journey, but this issue puts the god into “God Country,” and it’s exactly what you’d hope for following issue 1’s final page.

If last issue introduced us to this world through the eyes of Roy Quinlan, the son struggling to keep his family together while looking after his Alzheimer’s suffering father, then our emotional core for this issue is the father himself, Emmett. In one simple act, Emmett achieves literally what Roy has been attempting metaphorically for years, to rebuild the family home, which holds significance here. Of course, this act wouldn’t be so simple without Valofax, the ‘God of Blades’ that has chosen Emmett as its new champion, imbuing within him not only the power to piece together the tornado-strewn remains of his home but to reclaim all the memories taken by his illness.

It’s this central concept of Emmett that the series will no doubt build itself upon and ultimately launch off from. After all, a man that’s unwilling to give up the seemingly absolute powers of a god is, in itself, an uninspiring story, but here it’s not the power he craves, it’s the memories of his life. Emmett doesn’t cling to the blade because it makes him feel like a god, he does so because it makes him feel like a human again, and just as Emmett rebuilds not a better version of his home, but one with the doors that jam and no doubt a thousand more imperfections, he embraces the powers bestowed by Valofax not to make him better than everyone else, but to make him whole again, back to what he once was.

None of this emotional drama would connect if it weren’t for the stunning work of Geoff Shaw and Jason Wordie, who both have to deal with an even more fantastical plot than last issue, introducing new gods and new mystical elements into the mix. Where their work shines best, however, is in the human moments. Shaw’s characterizations capture the more emotional beats perfectly, such as the moment Emmett hugs his daughter-in-law, in essence ‘meeting’ her for the very first time. So much is conveyed in that moment and that’s thanks to Shaw’s skills. Likewise, where Emmett takes his granddaughter into his arms, the sheer joy and amazement is right there on his face.

The sweeping vistas of Texas are also captured beautifully, enough to make even the god Aristus pause. There’s a sense that the location itself will play a big part of what’s to come (the book is, after all, named for it,) and you really get a feeling in this issue that Shaw is not just creating a backdrop in Texas but an extra character in its own right. Almost all the panels are widescreen to capture to cinematic nature of the subject matter, and larger panels are used sparingly to maximize effect. The composition of the panels really convey the scale of the events too, widening the shots of Emmett and Aristus talking in order to fully appreciate the nature of a god and a mortal in conversation. There are also two flashback panels worth a mention, as they each display an artist with a highly skilled eye for efficiency of material, managing to convey so much with so little by prioritizing composition and working with Wordie’s colors to maximize the strength of the emotional beat.

Speaking of which, the colors in this book are everything. Utilizing light and shadow in such a bold way not only builds the atmosphere of any given scene but is a fitting play on the grander themes of the book. Wordie also contends with the two extremes of gods and mortals really well, ensuring the human cast are never too drab compared to the more fantastical characters, who in turn are never so garish as to seem out of place. Aside from the previously mentioned flashback panels (which are their own little bubbles with their own perfectly suited palettes,) there’s a consistent tone throughout the issue that almost follows Emmett’s emotions; as he happily embraces his family it’s a perfectly sunny day with bright backgrounds and not a cloud in the sky, then moving to less natural colors like deep reds, purples and pinks as Emmett starts to use the powers bestowed upon him, finally settling on a darker sky filled with what feels like storm clouds as Emmett takes his stand against unknowable forces. This all leads to a final scene that gives us a hint of what’s to come and allows Shaw and Wordie to step a little further away from the real world and provide us with an epic fantasy tease.

“God Country” is still in the world building (or should that be realm building?) phase, which is to be expected with only its second issue, but there’s a lot of emotional drama bubbling under the surface of the comparatively simpler plot. Cates is developing the characters at a strong and swift pace, meaning there’s already a more than cursory level of investment in the Quinlan family, and likewise Shaw and Wordie are delivering a world grand in scope and rife with possibility, whilst setting the reader up for what is sure to be a saga of almost biblical proportions.

Final Verdict: 7.9 – “God Country” #2 satisfies the cliffhanger of its debut issue and continues to build the world and tease its central conflict. The best is surely yet to come, but the deeply engaging characters, be they gods, mortals or somewhere in between, are already here.