Kratos Puts Himself To The Test In God Of War #1
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
Kratos comes home to find his son playing with bugs and his wife out hunting. He orders his son to begin chopping firewood while Kratos goes out to test himself. He puts himself in a position to once again experience the great rage which once drove him by confronting a pack of wolves. He is able to control himself, but things get complicated when he finds a massive bear attacking an old man speaking in tongues he doesn’t understand.
Disclaimer time again: I’ve not actually played the new God of War–or any God of War except God of War III–so, won’t really be able to catch any references to the game proper.
That said, I do know enough about Kratos to know that the newest God of War is a huge departure for the character, and his rage was an intense and destructive force once upon a time.
His new attempts to maintain a family and restrain from the violence that once defined him makes for a compelling narrative.
On the flip side, little actually happens this issue. Kratos goes out into the woods, finds bear, and then is followed back to his home. The narration and journey into the wilderness pads out the story, leaving little of great significance to happen in the tale.
Tony Parker’s artwork is quite good, at least. Kratos’ journey into the wilderness is intended to be this atmospheric tale that justifies the minimal amount of actual plot. Thanks to Parker’s artwork, that almost gels. The comic looks great from beginning to end, and Dan Jackson’s color work maintains that immense layer of atmosphere.
God of War #1 is a decently compelling beginning to the comic series which finds Kratos at a low moment and trying to rebuild himself. It’s dripping with character and atmosphere, but it is light on plot and, well, things actually happening. The artwork of Parker and Jackson is what pushes it into recommendation territory, but I wouldn’t call it a must read.
God of War #1 comes to us from writer Chris Roberson, artist Tony Parker, color artist Dan Jackson, letterer Comicraft’s John Roshell, and cover artist E.M. Gist.