Review - Godstorm #1

History has it that, every now and again, Zeus would come down from Mt. Olympus for the purpose of meddling in the lives of mortals. Inevitably though, he would make his way back to the top of the mountain to resume his ruling duties. What if he stayed on Earth, alongside his brethren? That's the premise behind Godstorm #1, a new series from Zenescope.

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

Julian is a bodyguard for a fairly sleazy and idiotic drug lord named Tony Santinello. The two have had a pretty good run of things throughout life, with Tony leveraging his ambition and Julian's mammoth size to get what he wants when he wants it. Julian realizes there may be more to life than drugs, women and violence and realizes that more fully when he learns about a surprise talent, revealed in the issue and set to serve as a catalyst for the rest of the series.

Shand has written an imaginative take on the concept of gods and mortals. In Godstorm, the gods do more than just meddle with mortals for the sake of amusement. It seems they need them for some reason, a reason that will likely be unveiled as the series progresses. The idea of drug lords fighting for turf is a little basic, but the twist is in Julian.

For most of the issue, Julian is characterized as a beastly fighter with something missing in his life. He comes across as somewhat pensive most of the time, doing all the dirty work for Tony but not really enjoying it. There's a flashback that shows the nature of their relationship, which explains a lot of his current situation. It doesn't explain all of Julian though, which is what will make the series something to look forward to.

Johnson's art has an interesting feel to it. It's almost as if it was animated as a cartoon and the frames were frozen for the book. It's hard to explain, but it really works. The panel layouts are pretty standard and that's not really something that holds the book back.

The first issue of the new Godstorm series is off to a great start. Zeus will inevitably have an impact on the direction of events in the story. And Julian has the potential to be something much bigger than he currently is, so watching that unfold should be fairly fascinating as well.

Godstorm #1 is available in stores now.