The vast, wounded landscape in God Country is a sight to behold. Barren and void of anything but dirt and wild mammals, with the storm of the century upon it, its mythical stature enough to inspire the unseen narrator to say, "This here story's been passed down in my family for generations now..." Like a poem from a citizen of hell who's looking down at the decaying Earth, it sets up a scenario that is as grand as it is mystical.
God Country #1, written by Donny Cates and illustrated by Geoff Shaw, Jason Wordie and John J. Hill (alternate cover by Gerardo Zaffino), centers on Roy Quinlan, a loyal son whose wife and young daughter have finally had enough with the belligerent threats spewed by Roy's father, Emmet, whose dementia is quickly turning him into a great liability for everyone around him. Emmet's stature is large and in charge, his appearance resembling a deity of the highest order, while his mind is another matter altogether. When an unprecedented storms crashes on their hometown in Texas, it triggers a chain of events that will challenge an otherworldly God to pick a bone with one of the aforementioned characters.
Resembling a Cormac McCarthy novel, God Country is a folk song as much as it is a comic full of elements both fantastical and Western. The artwork is impressive and rich, while the writing is honest and the dialogue minimal, something that actually works in its favor. Of all the recent Image comics debuts, this one should rank somewhere near the top.
A-
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