And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagining of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
–Genesis 6:5-6
THE GODDAMNED is a bold comic indeed, a Biblical noir series from the creative team that brought you SCALPED, writer Jason Aaron and artist R. M. Guéra, with the addition of artist Giulia Brusco.
It is 1600 years after Eden and the world has gone the way of Mad Max. An Adonis emerges, nude and unmarked, from a pond of shit. A little maundering boy peppers him with questions about why he has no scars and how he could survive violent torture. The young man, who turns out to be Cain, just keeps walking, all the way back to his tormentors, the Bone Boys. Off to a very good start.
The artwork is eye-poppingly good, all gritty Western noir. What happens next is that we find that Cain makes for a great, maybe even better, Conan. Although I can imagine Biblical devotees perhaps scratching their heads and waiting to see if things go too far. Well all these things considered, this looks to be a refreshing tale that no one should seriously have a problem with. It may be set in a Biblical landscape, but from there it takes off into its own world.
True to all the promotion for this comic, THE GODDAMNED delivers a satisfying read. There’s a good portion of it that is wordless and that makes for some perfect extended scenes. You’ll find some of the best compositions depicting action here. And I put it mildly when I say, action. Cain knows how to kick ass.
THE GODDAMNED is available as of November 11th. For more details, visit our friends at Image Comics right here.
Cool. I really dig those wordless stretches in comics. The pause that refreshes. I like that in cartoons too. Samurai Jack on Cartoon Network was awesome for that. It was a rare classic work of art. Long Zen stretches: the lonely howl of the wind, soft crunching of gravel, an emphasis on setting which restores the viewers perspective on the surrounding environment.