The Last God - Review For The First Three Parts
So you say you like your horror with a little Conan-like swordplay and Lovecraftian creatures from beyond? Then why not check out this new 12 part DC Comics series released under their Black Label imprint. We’re unwrapping what madness lurks atop the Black Stair in this peek of the first three issues of The Last God.
What’s up, Horror Bound loyal, I’m back with another chilling comic book read for you all in DC Comics’ The Last God. Releasing on their Black Label imprint, their fancy name for adult oriented stories published in the prestige format and resembling the longer form storytelling of the graphic novel style, The Last God promises a chilling and ancient horror tale set in a fantasy world. Kind of like Lord of the Rings meets H. P. Lovecraft. That’s right, folks, this isn’t your classic, modern, slasher horror story most think of as soon as we hear the words “horror.” Nope, this is terror told through the lens of Dungeons & Dragons. So when I heard about this series, released in October no less, and it containing so many of my favorite things, I had to jump aboard and see what all the talk was about. So three issues in (in a planned 12 issue run), I give you my first impressions on this world of high adventure and a fear as old as time itself.
If you join us here on the site often and, better yet, have read my stuff before, then you know I’m a big comic book geek, practically learning how to read as a boy through comic books. Rather than reiterate a lot of what I’ve already mentioned in a prior story, check out my piece and brief history of horror comics over here. So whenever I get the chance to do anything comic book related here on the site, I jump at the chance. I don’t remember how I came across The Last God, probably in a comic shop newsletter or something, but I do remember two things right off the bat: The cover of the premiere issue was astoundingly beautiful and the synopsis mentioned something about fantasy and horror. That was it, and quite frankly, that was all I needed to know.
Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson (Aquaman, Jim Henson’s The Power of the Dark Crystal), with stunningly amazing artwork by Riccardo Federici (A Very DC Halloween, Cursed Comics Cavalcade), The Last God starts off with a disembodied narrator setting up the world and story we’re about to enter. It’s a tough read, as world building often is, especially in short form storytelling like a limited comic book series. Admittedly, this is what oftentimes turns people off to the Fantasy genre: learning the dialect, people, history, religion, customs, etc. of any given fantasy place. Thankfully, The Last God gets that all out in the first four pages… well, at least enough to get by and build upon as you get through the first few issues.
So the place is Cain Anuun (you’re guess is as good as mine on how that’s pronounced) and the story goes that there is a land in the far reaches of the world called Fellspyre that houses the Black Stair. This stair reaches up and out into the void to what I’m guessing is there equivalent of hell. From this place, the Plague of Flowers was born which turned the living into what I imagine are akin to zombies. Race by race, the plague started turning all across the land: Elves, Dwarves, Humans, and Magic Users (these are the names I’ve attributed to them, just so you get it, but Johnson has a whole different vernacular to accompany his world). So a band of warriors, who would later become known as the Godslayers, made up of members from each of the decimated nations, climbed the Black Stair to put an end to Mol Uhltep, The Last God (hence the title), which in turn halted the advance of the Plague of Flowers. And that’s just in the first four pages, people.
Fast forward thirty years and each member of that fellowship has become a king and/or queen of their respective people, with the greatest warrior, Tyr, the dude that delivered the final killing blow thirty years prior, ruling over them all. Now I’m not saying they didn’t earn it, I’m just saying it’s a weird coincidence that those warriors all happened to become rulers. I mean, nice gig, huh, all they had to do was practically halt the end of all creation. Easy peasy.
But during the 30th annual celebrations marking that glorious day the Last God was defeated, a slave gladiator by the name of Eyvindr, fighting for his 60th victory and thusly his promised freedom, in costume as the warrior King Tyr to mimic the celebrated day, unknowingly sets in motion the return of the plague of flowers and therefore it’s creator, Mol Uhltep. After utter catastrophe is laid upon the capital city and either wiping out its inhabitants or turning them into the flowering dead, the remaining survivors, including the Queen, Eyvindr, and Veikko (former member of the original fellowship, friend to the King and Queen and current leader of the Aelvan people) must flee and regroup to find a way to stop the new threat.
Along the way, treachery and deceit are revealed as Eyvindr wonders how the plague could return if the old tales tell of the Godslayers defeating Mol Uhltep at the black stair. Queen Cyanthe, who was there, explains to him that essentially they had to make a deal with the devil in order to destroy it, which included the placement of a curse and an ominous prophecy that Mol Uhltep would return when, “Sins made flesh and a true crown hidden by a false one of gold,” revealed themselves. Well, no sooner then when Eyvindr showed up all dressed up as the Warrior King, Tyr, did all hell break loose. Now, with all the members of the original fellowship scattered across the lands, it’s up to the Queen, the Aelvan King, and the Gladiator Slave to try and bring them all back together again, with Eyvindr in place of the recently turned King Tyr, and once again vanquish the tyrannical Mol Uhltep and his army of Flowering Dead.
Yeah, I know, sounds like a great summer blockbuster, right? Three issues in and I’m quite sure there are a ton more surprises lurking around the bend, especially considering we’re only a quarter of the way into this thing. But as I stated earlier, although marketed as a long awaited return to fantasy-horror, this book definitely leans a little more heavy on the fantasy and less on the horror. So it will be a hard read for some of you looking to just pick it up and dive in. There is some extensive world building and lore that you must adopt before you feel like you’re being let in on everything this world has to offer. Then there are those oddly spelled, consonant heavy names you have to muddle through how to pronounce, which may just drive you mad at the frustration and take you right out of the story (or just do what I do and make your best guess and move on).
But for those who tough it out and hang on, you will be rewarded with some jaw droppingly gorgeous art, the likes of other well known fantasy artists like Ken Kelley and Frank Frazetta, as well as some pretty solid storytelling. Thankfully, there’s a good amount of supplemental material included in a couple of pages at the end of each issue à la other groundbreaking titles such as Alan Moore’s Watchmen and Geoff Johns’ critically acclaimed sequel, Doomsday Clock. Items like lyrics to old folk songs of the world and history books on important people and places help to flesh out the gaps in the story or even better, help enforce it. As this feature is only a snippet of the grander, over-arching story at play here, I can’t really leave you with a final review score since it would be unfair, but I can tell you that if you enjoy your fantasy with a slice of horror dashed in, then The Last God is probably right up your alley.
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