“…and I will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” Genesis 4:15 

Before the Flood, the world was a brutal living hell with tribes killing each other for scraps, children are taken as slaves, and violence is the only law.

Welcome to the world of the Goddamned.

If you’re looking for a writer to explore the darker side of biblical history, and asking whether Noah could have built the Arc and fed the animals without some slightly underhanded methods, and whether Cain really was that evil, then look no further than Jason Aaron and The Goddamned.

As strong as the writing is here, the art of r.m. Guera and colourist Guilia Brusco are perfectly suited to both each other and to the harsh conditions within the pages of this comic. Despite my initial misgivings with the art style in the first issue, I’ve since come to thoroughly enjoy the scrappy, almost delicately brutal style since that first issue as I’ve become more immersed in this world.

Without beating around the bush, The Goddamned probably isn’t safe for younger readers (okay, it’s really not), but it’s a refreshingly brilliant comic that has absolutely no spandex in sight. There’s a lot of detail within these pages, everything from the words a character uses, to their speech patterns to the art itself. We’re still two issues away from the first trade paperback (which will be released in June), so it’s still too early to tell if the series will be one that’s highly recommended years down the road, but as it stands, I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s the case.

The Goddamned isn’t a happy comic. But it’s a damn good one.

Story: Jason Aaron Art: R.M. Guera Colourist: Guilia Brusco
Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25 Recommendation: Read

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review