The last issue of Godshaper ended with Ennay coming to the aid of Clara Smith, after she confronted local sketchy businessman Benny and his supposed involvement with a load of missing military supplies. The action doesn’t last very long, considering the build up, and goes by without much of an impact to it. This issue does pass by with a wandering sort of feel, though the added exposition and character development is a nice change in pace from the chaotic trip of the introductory issue.

Simon Spurrier’s script is a little less concise this time around, with some comedic moments that don’t quite hit the mark and come across as more juvenile in their execution. There are some great moments that would have been nice to see extended out in conversation but perhaps information is being concealed for a later time. After Ennay and his trusty god sidekick Bud quickly leave the scene at Benny’s with Clara, the two make camp with another godshaper and friend named Clench. Clench has with him another young nogody and amateur godshaper, Sal. There is some more information learned regarding the life of a nogody and godshaper while they sit, reminiscing on their past young lives as orphans that were constantly travelling around and being put under the wing of various people. Constantly without a home and a steady sense of personal connection, godshapers like Ennay and Clench embody the life of a drifter, learning to survive through the places and people they encounter and unfixed to any particular purpose.

Jonas Goonface’s art continues to be very expressive and injects a boost of energy during the up and down pacing of this second issue. His attention to detail to capturing the array of emotions on the characters faces are fun to see; he has knack for showing the same emotion but with slight changes to someone’s eyes or mouth, attributing to his skills as an artist. Goonface could do wonders with a completely silent issue of the adventures of Bud, before Ennay came along. Background are not really drawn in all that much with more of an emphasis on the characters and their actions and instead chooses to use a consistent rotation of soft coloured backgrounds with warm blues, greens, yellows, etc. These colour choices continue to provide a surreal vibe to Godshaper, especially when contrasted to the bright, vibrant and prominently outlined gods. Goonface also specifically emphasizes anger with red, surrounding the frames of the frazzled individual with a dominant orange-red, similar to his playful use of borders in the first issue.

There are a few moments that stand out, providing some warmth, intimacy and social relevancy to the issue. Colin Bell’s lettering placements are especially important during the sequence in which Ennay and Clench get intimate, allowing for the moonlit pink and purple glow of their bodies to share a moment, entwined as one. Spurrier’s story during this single page is effective at adding a sense of melancholy while the artwork enhances the sense of loneliness expressed. Ennay’s narration suggests it’s better for fellow shapers to keep themselves separated, as having them together would only cause suspicion by others. Traveling, let alone remaining as a pair appears to dangerous for godshapers, and are fated to have just a moment of human to human compassion, only to be thrust forward before they know it on separate, wandering paths.

The sadness displayed here is further brought on by Sal as he describes being a runaway after a group of people, through distrust in him and the women taking care of him, assaulted them. Ennay’s response to the story is this: “Sometimes some folk just…need folk to blame, I guess.” Reminiscent of the classic townsfolk and Frankenstein’s monster dichotomy, the level of difference, of fear in a constructed otherness, is what places the godshapers into this kind of situation. The fact that the godshapers lack a sameness, a ‘normality’ that is represented in the accompanied gods for the majority, causes a platform of mistrust, anger and superiority to be created. There is an opportunity after this moment to dive deeper into this idea but it is quickly swept under the rug. Once again, there may still be room to dive further into these issues, especially if Ennay has faced them in his own past, soon enough. Through the introduction of a gang, the Crumpa Crew, whom Ennay denied a job with, the troubled past appears to be catching up to Ennay’s present.

Though somewhat not as tightly woven and energetic as the first issue, this second issue of Godshaper dives a bit more into world building, with a few humourous moments (though some are a bit awkward) and introduces some characters and elements that look to be early placeholders for being important, especially with their connection to Ennay.

Story: Simon Spurrier Art: Jonas Goonface Lettering: Colin Bell
Story: 7.5 Art: 9.0 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

BOOM! Studios provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

What if all of a sudden, one day, the aspects of daily life that make it easier, such as electricity, were to just suddenly stop working? Now, in the present year of 2017, there are actual gods that have been manifested as personal helpers (how, it has been made unclear, as of yet at least) and, as it says early in the first few pages, “A god for every person. And a person for every god.” Each of them can contribute to a variety of needs to their human counterpart, varying from actual powers to simply printing out smut to sell. Such is the way of world in Godshaper, the new series from the incredibly talented voice of Simon Spurrier and the electric illustrations of Jonas Goonface. As much as the premise and world makes it known that gods fill the present world, the main focus is drawn towards Ennay, a ‘nogody,’ or, someone who doesn’t have a god as a companion.

Spurrier’s script is fast paced and dipped in a deep fried batter of an American Southern-type drawl, topped with slang and quick-witted. He gets the exposition out of the way in a mere two frames but is smart at filling in little curiosities here and there. For example, the cute and mysterious presence of Bud, the god without a person, whom is described as being a reclit: a god whose owner has died and should fade away in a few days now that they have nobody to worship them (presumably keeping it alive and well). Bud just so happens to be with Ennay, which makes their relationship all the more interesting since they both are ‘outsiders’ of their respective groups. Ennay is a ‘godshaper,’ someone who is incredibly rare, shunned by society, yet has the ability to physically alter the appearance and reconfigure the powers of the multitude of gods. The duo appear to be drifting around, from city to city, and are about to get themselves involved with the whereabouts of a large amount of missing supplies by the military.

Goonface’s art is spectacular. It’s a perfect fit for this high-concept story that is filled with liveliness and an energy that is a great one-two punch with the free-flowing words of Spurrier. Each of the gods is a vibrant, striking colour that is outlined with a thin white stripping and stands out consistently from their imaginative and slightly warped animal bodies. Their presence throughout causes the book to seem like the world is experiencing a rainbow-melted acid trip; and that is a compliment, for sure. Colin Bell’s lettering also does a great job at filtering the amount of word balloons and sound effects with the busy illustrated frames (with some notable, funny and literal sound effects as well). Bell’s placements allow for the script and art to continue to flow at a quick pace.

Goonface also does this very playful thing with colour, outlining some of the frames with the colours within the frames. It’s as if a particular source within is bleeding out on the edges, creating a wide array of enhanced emotion, depending on the scene. A couple sequences capture this dance with colour. One in particular, in which Ennay is hired to transfigure a local salesman’s god (to make it appear more ‘professional’ for an upcoming important sale), the colour green of the god and the maroon of Ennay’s clothes and skin, each respectively take up half of the frame as Ennay struggles to gain control of the god. Once Ennay fuses his hand within the god, the frame turns into a fully surrounded maroon edging, and finally, the page breaks free of its borders, as Ennay, the god handyman, goes to work.

Another great sequence is when Ennay is shown in his musical stage persona: Cantik (which is Indonesian for beautiful or lovely after a quick, curious internet search), a glam rock, androgynous presence who revels in his pure talent, without the need for gods to enhance himself. After Cantik’s explosion of noise, alongside a spread of purples, blues, oranges, reds, and yellows, Ennay is frequently placed multiple times amongst a double-page spread of a frozen crowd, being outspoken about bands who use gods to enhance their sound in profanity-laced tirades, making out with a variety of passerby, and reinforcing his own respect for letting the music be as natural as possible. With all this talk and appearance of performance and gender fluidity, whether it is intentional or not, the use of the combination of a soft blue and pink for this sequence is rather perfect.

It’s always a blast to see artists have fun with the medium and be playful with their work. The mere flashing of bright, sometimes pastel-like colours may seem overwhelming to some, and in certain books, but it really works here with the energy that both Spurrier and Goonface have provided on every page. There are other great double-page and single page spreads as well that show how Godshaper is in very trusting, talented hands.

Without giving too much away from the story, most of what appears to be the driving force for the title happens towards the final third of the first issue with the introduction of another character who has got themselves caught up in a conspiracy. The first two-thirds do a great job at setting up the world, without much really known, as well as making Ennay and his mute god Bud already likable as a duo. By the final few pages, it definitely looks like the enigmatic craziness of the first issue of Godshaper is only just the beginning.

Story: Simon Spurrier Art: Jonas Goonface Letters: Colin Bell
Story: 9.5 Art: 10 Overall: 9.5 Recommendation: Buy

BOOM! Studios provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review.