Culled from the vivid and silly imagination of Ryan Browne, God Hates Astronauts #1 focuses on a micro-cult of aspiring astronaut farmers and their chicken dicking leader. Their mission? Get to the moon so that the chicken dicker can dick his chicken without the constraints of our judgey modern society (and probably gravity, because as Einstein said, “without gravity, all positions are possible”).

Standing in the way of the chicken dicker is a multitude of battle bears, the Power Persons Five and their cowheaded leader, Star Grass, who seems as if he’s going through the motions a bit. Also, who is he to oppose the love of a chicken headed lady and a human man? What about his relationship with Starrior? That’s hypocrisy! Internet swarm!

If you’re new to the title (which previously lived as a web comic, Kickstarter sensation and a collected edition that was also released by Image last fall), Browne doesn’t dare leave you behind as the story pauses briefly for a synopsis of the first volume. Our guide? A 3-D Cowboy that looks like a cheery cartoon splooge buddy or an anthropomorphic fetal dolphin in a cowboy hat. I really can’t decide which observation is more accurate — maybe it’s meant to be both?

Once everyone is caught up, Browne returns us to the action, but while I don’t want to spoil anything for you, I will say that electric hoes play a sizable role and Browne cleverly punches the notion of martyrdom in the gut at one point.

Overall, the main story is less interesting than the one that seems like it’s coming down the chute for the Power Persons Five and the book doesn’t quite match the absurd brilliance of its predecessor in its debut effort. With that said, though, it’s really unfair to compare these two different things at this point and I’m a real dick for doing it (and there’s the pull quote).

Browne is still giving us the kind of lush humor that filled his earlier effort (think Arrested Development and early ZAZ films for the way that you have to go back and explore to find all of the well hidden jokes and sight gags if comparisons make you feel safe in the lightning filled forest of my word extravaganza), it just feels a touch more restrained here and a tad less present. I’m saying flat out that that is all a symptom of Browne’s necessary effort to introduce/re-introduce the characters and the concept while also building the foundation for this arc and not a sign of decline. If anything, it’s actually a sign of maturity from a writer who is learning to focus more on the creation of the story and the overall arc.

Really, my quibbles are the quibbles of a serial nit picker. This book, from page 1 to 32, is a well crafted effort with good art (specifically when Browne is able to go big for “shots” that introduce the bears, Star Grass and Reginald VelJo… never mind) and color work by Jordan Boyd (Knuckleheads), who really makes a difference in some of the combat scenes between the farmers and the bears.

The best marriage between Boyd and Browne’s work is in the aforementioned full page reveal of the bears thanks to the uniqueness of almost all of the front line bears and the shading of Old McPoultry fucker and the chicken lady (let the record show that Mark McKinney was a hotter chicken lady).

I’m also awarding a praise badge (redeemable nowhere, sorry) for the overall design of the book. Browne is demonstrating the kind of fun that can be squeezed out of typically boring things like the credits page, the critical praise self-love display and the mature content disclaimer with his design choices and light gags and it’s another example of how deep this book can be. In some ways, it matches Sex Criminals in that way, and there’s another final comparison. I do this for you.

So, to recap: having sex with chicken’s is wrong, I’m a dick and God Hates Astronauts is apparently like Top Secret!, Axe Cop, Arrested Development (not the band, sorry), Sex Criminals… lets sayThe Astronaut Farmer to cover all of my bases and there was something about Einstein, so I guess that counts as a comparison to The Manhattan Projects too. It’s a good book, is what I’m saying.

Story: Ryan Browne Art: Ryan Browne
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review.