God of War #1

By coincidence, today I finally got a chance to start playing God of War III, so it seems like a good time to review the comic book based on the popular videogame.

For those who came in late, both game and comic book focus on Kratos, a Spartan warrior who was invincible in combat, but became a pawn of the gods (most notably Ares and Zeus).

When his servitude leads to tragic results, he turns on the gods and vows revenge, fighting his way through an army of mythological creatures, giants, warriors and (of course) the gods themselves.

The videogame is loaded with amazing action sequences, more than its share of gore and quite a few story twists. The games are all lots of fun, though not really suitable for young gamers.

So here's the comic, and they wisely turned the writing over to experienced pro Marv Wolfman, who sets this story before the first game, so we learn more about Kratos and how he became involved in the affairs of the gods.

The writing is solid (as one would expect), but the style of art employed by Andrea Sorrentino really doesn't work here. Instead of trying to match the lush and detailed look of the game, she instead uses a painted approach that is dark and murky. It's a stylized look that fits the grim mood of the comic, but doesn't evoke the game at all (unlike the excellent cover by Andy Park).

There are pages and panels where I have no idea what's happening, and this style just seems to be wrong for this comic.

Sorry, I really wanted to like this comic - but there's nothing here to make me want to put down the game and pick up the comic. Pity.

Grade: D+