Review: The Goddamned #1

The Goddamned #1
Written by Jason Aaron
Art by r.m. GuÃ©ra
Colors by Giulia Brusco
Published by Image Comics, Inc.

Cain”¦is The Godddamned #1 an issue that is suitable for children, the faint of heart, intolerant minds or anyone that might find religious-themed comic books offensive?

Consider yourselves warned!

Jason Aaron and r.m. GuÃ©ra have combined their creative talents to convey a distinct interpretation of events chronicled in the Bible’s book of Genesis. Their tale focuses on the time “Before the Flood” (as the subtitle on the cover of this issue indicates), an epoch where humanity was apathetic and unreceptive towards good will. Sympathy was an emotion that was severely lacking throughout civilization (is that any different from today’s society?). People favored malice over kindness and preferred to inhabit a bleak world where rampant bloodshed and carnage was routine.

The Goddamned #1 will provide you with the opportunity to perceive this dreadful and savage culture through the eyes of Cain, the first human born, the son of Adam and Eve ”“ the world’s first murderer. His treacherous act of killing his younger brother Abel and lying about it to God, set the world on a path from which it could never turn back. Cain was cursed by God for his despicable actions and destined to roam the Earth as an undying spectator to all of the wickedness he helped to unleash.

Given the context and nature of the subject at hand, I expected more complexity out of the script Jason Aaron delivered. Don’t get me wrong, the story here was good enough to get me to commit to a second issue; however, there were numerous panels without dialogue which only served to speed up the pace while reading this book. I was somewhat perplexed by the colloquial speech exhibited by each of the characters as well as the placement of profane words. I won’t shy away from books that contain foul language”¦sometimes it does offer a dramatic and perhaps needed impact, but when I read a story loaded with vulgarity, I tend to become disinterested or numb to the message that is being expressed, especially if it lacks tact. GuÃ©ra’s artwork combined with Brusco’s colors were more than fitting for this gory biblical account and totally capable of leaving long-lasting impressions of absolute mayhem and sheer horror to seep into your mind. Their joint effort played a significant role in setting up the tone that this book will undertake while convincing us to be grateful we never lived during a time when chaos reigned supreme.

Until next time Crusaders!

[yasr_overall_rating]

Author Profile

13th Crusader

Real Name: Mike / Occupation: (As Mike) Classified; (as The 13th Crusader) Host of The Definitive Crusade, DC Podcast, for Undercover Capes / Known Aliases: 13, The Iron Mike, Ironhide, The Walking Human Encyclopedia, Professor M / Affiliations: Comic Crusaders / Base of Operations: The 13th Lair (location classified), often mobile / Abilities: Photographic memory (to the extent where he is capable of memorizing the comic book inventories of several stores simultaneously for lengthy periods of time), voice impersonation, acute senses (The 13th Crusader possesses an uncanny ability to track down vintage comic books, and on several occasions, with his eyes closed, he has been able to determine the exact year a comic book was published just by smelling the ink inside of it), capable of drawing sketches; however, he prefers to write. He has a substantial amount of resistance to alcohol, surpassing the levels displayed by Marvelâ€™s Volstagg and Valiantâ€™s Aram Anni-Padda â€“ combined. Multilingual (Proficient with English and Spanish, adequate with Portuguese and Italian). Above average marksman (he is capable of throwing objects accurately at high velocities), limited sword fighting skills and kickboxing techniques. / Known Weaknesses: Anything that involves the original Gwen Stacy, 2 for 1 drinks during Happy Hour, 50 cent comic book bins, the scent of 1983 comic book ink / Hobbies: Vintage comic book collecting, baseball, listening to excessive amounts of 80â€™s music / History: Little is known of The 13th Crusader. He is a man of many talents who was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. He has extensive knowledge of the comic book world and heâ€™s been collecting comic books since before he was able to read. Heâ€™s a BIG time fan of Silver and Bronze Age comics, and as such, his personal collection is truly impressive. He owns books that range from the 1950â€™s and onward. First Appearance: Comic Crusaders Column â€“ What Defines A Characters First Appearance (Feb 2014)