Writer: Jason Aaron

Artist: R.M. Guera

Colorist: Giulia Brusco

As it’s getting closer to the end of the year, I’m getting to the point where I’m thinking about the best creators in comics for 2015. While Hickman owned Marvel with Secret Wars and guys like Scott Snyder and Brian K Vaughn continue to dominate, when it comes down to it, there’s really only one option for me: Jason Aaron. Whether his Thor work, or the insane quality that is Southern Bastards, no one has been as consistently great across various genres like Aaron. Needless to say, I was very excited to get my hands on his latest creator owned project in The Goddamned, especially having his Scalped collaborator R.M. Guera along with him.

Aaron took me slightly by surprise here. To start the story, there is a lot of humor inserted, which isn’t unlike Aaron, but the style here seemed new for him. The best way I can describe it is a slight channeling of Garth Ennis, but only a flash of that. We start the book with our main character, whose name is revealed later and I won’t spoil, waking up in a literal pond of poop water. From there, we are taken on a dirty, brutal, introduction to a barbaric biblical world full of ridiculous names, bloody fights and murder, and just general disgustingness. With this first issue, we see what Aaron does best, world building. After closing the book, I felt comfortably seated in the setting of the book, and excited to see what the newest locales will bring. Our main character is a badass with a very significant skeleton in his closet that will inevitably lead to interesting stories going forward. In that, we get more than a generic barbarian or tough guy, this character is clearly layered. In addition, the villain we are introduced to at the end of the book, a name everyone will know, is a fascinating turn. I could never imagine seeing this person in the light he’s in, so I cannot wait for future issues. This story and cast of characters are just a perfect hook, much like issue one of Southern Bastards, and Aaron’s voice screams through on each page, and it’s a damn good voice. In my opinion, Aaron is the most refreshing writer in comics, you can see his influences right in the story. He just puts on a clinic in every issue he writes.

Enough gushing over Jason Aaron, because R.M. Guera deserves equal praise. This book, and world, literally comes to life from the art. Similar to Scalped, you can feel the grit and you can smell the stink from each panel. On top of that, the character work is equally as full of life and page popping. Since a good chunk of the issue is brawl, Guera’s ability to display action in motion, and telling the story of the world through that, is showcased really well. The storytelling is there and strong, and the character designs work in tandem with the world surrounding them. As I said about the villain characterization in the writing, the design of this character is equally as intriguing, and fascinating. Brusco’s colors also work well in tandem with the pencils, as there’s a sense of brightness in the gritty world, in that the sun is bearing down on everyone.

Image has another big hit with this first issue, and may even lead to one of it’s strongest title, along with the likes of Saga and Southern Bastards. In addition, Aaron proves, yet again, whe he may just be the best writer in comics right now. This is not an issue you will want to miss.

5 Bones out of 5