Review - Godstorm #0

Zeus has led an eventful life. Ruled Mt. Olympus, instilled fear in mortals and sired children. Lots of children. Children with ambitions and goals. And children he might not have maintained the best relationships with, as evident in Godstorm #0 from Zenescope Entertainment.

The preview issue is written by Pat Shand, with pencils by Jason Johnson, colors by Ben Sawyer and letters by Jim Campbell.

The man named Zeus has been successful. He lives in a well furnished mansion where he maintains a series of family portraits as a gallery, all of which show his kids. The gallery serves as a literal walk down memory lane, where Zeus reflects on his triumphs and failures as a father.

Perseus, Hercules and Zagreus are all shown throughout the walk, with Zeus having a different relationship with each. He fears their return at the behest of Heather, a currently mysterious figure who will likely play a much bigger role when the series kicks off.

The concept of Zeus as a "retired" god is actually interesting. Shand has effectively presented him as a somewhat crestfallen father, fully realizing the impact his decisions had on the lives of his children. He sees success and failure in his children, yet he doesn't know how to reconcile the two.

The biggest thing about the issue is what Shand does with so little. The issue clearly conveys what the series will be about simply through Zeus reminiscing about his past with his children. It's actually quite effective storytelling, giving the reader enough to keep up but not so much they feel overwhelmed.

Johnsons's pencils are quite strong. He illustrates some of Greek mythology's more storied tales, including Perseus and the gorgon. Zeus himself shifts between mild-mannered businessman and the Olympian Zeus we all know and love and it works. There's one panel with Zeus in full mythology mode and he looks pretty awesome. Yes, some of the character models are typical superhero exaggerations, but these are Greek gods were talking about.

This is an interesting issue. Godstorm could be a series that does a lot with little, presuming that Zenescope can present a foe worthy of Zeus. That's a tall order and hopefully his fear of his children rising up is grounded in something truly terrifying.

Godstorm #0 is in stores now.