Gødland
Encyclopedia
Gødland is an American
comic book
series
by Joe Casey
and Tom Scioli
, published by Image Comics
since 2005
.
and Jack Kirby
. The style of the series is strongly inspired by Kirby's style in his Eternals
and The Fourth World
series. While obviously strongly inspired by this series, Casey and Scioli add their own twist on the stories with a little humor.
It was announced in the solicitations for issue #25 that the series would end with issue #36, which Scioli attributed to sales, although Casey suggested the end point and reasons were less clear-cut:
The series starts four years later. Archer has become a famous superhero, but is distrusted by government and the public. The military have provided him with a base, Infinity Tower, from where Archer and his three sisters, Neela, Angie and Stella, protect the Earth from the invasion of robot zombies. Neela, an astronaut and military commander, resents that her brother's powers overshadow her own talents and that she is forced to keep an eye on him instead of pursuing her own career. Angie, a fighter pilot, is a rebellious spirit, while Stella, who oversees communication with her brother, is clear-headed and rational.
On his adventures, Adam comes into conflict with many bizarre supervillain
s like Basil Cronus, a floating skull in jar on a quest for the ultimate high, Friedrich Nickelhead, Discordia and her father the Tormentor and his army of Superman
-Mice.
On his first adventure, Adam saves the giant, dog-like alien Maxim, who turns out to know about the Cosmic Fetus Collective. Maxim was enhanced by his own species and sent to Earth to contact Archer and prepare him for his destiny. He is rather disappointed with the human race though, who are further from enlightenment than he would have hoped. Nevertheless he is fully committed to his task as a mentor to Adam.
There is a space-god named Iboga
who plays an important part in the series cosmology.
Neela has left her family and joined up with a private consortium who want to fly to the stars.
Villainess Discordia's head exploded during her trial, but Nickelhead has sent his servant to collect her body.
Adam has saved the world from an alien invasion, only to be met with distrust and lawsuits. Archer has become annoyed with humanity's distrust of him and their worship of superhero Crashman, but Maxim is about to show him more about his origin.
:
Image has also published two hardcovers collecting issues 1-12 and 13-24 respectively, with notes from Casey, sketches by Scioli, a cover and advertisement gallery, and an introduction by Grant Morrison
:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series
Ongoing series
The term "ongoing series" is used in contrast to limited series , a one shot , a graphic novel, or a trade paperback...
by Joe Casey
Joe Casey
Joe Casey is an American comic book writer. He has worked on titles such as Wildcats 3.0, Uncanny X-Men, The Intimates, Adventures of Superman, and G.I. Joe: America's Elite, among others.-Biography:...
and Tom Scioli
Tom Scioli
Thomas Scioli is an American comic book artist and writer best known for working in a style similar to Jack Kirby.-Biography:Scioli's epic sci-fi/fantasy series The Myth of 8-Opus won a 1999 Xeric Grant and attracted mild industry attention, earning him a small part illustrating the Fantastic Four:...
, published by Image Comics
Image Comics
Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
since 2005
2005 in comics
- January :* January 3: Will Eisner, creator of The Spirit, dies at age 87.-April:*April 13:**DC Comics announces the discontinuation of its Humanoids and 2000 A.D. titles....
.
Publication history
The series was conceived as both a homage to and a revival of the Cosmic Superhero Epic as told by many great comic writers of the 1970s like Steve Engelhart, Jim StarlinJim Starlin
James P. "Jim" Starlin is an American comic book writer and artist. With a career dating back to the early 1970s, he is best known for "cosmic" tales and space opera; for revamping the Marvel Comics characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock; and for creating or co-creating the Marvel characters...
and Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
. The style of the series is strongly inspired by Kirby's style in his Eternals
Eternals (comics)
The Eternals are a fictional race of superhumans in the Marvel Comics universe. They are described as an offshoot of the evolutionary process that created sentient life on Earth. The original instigators of this process, the alien Celestials, intended the Eternals to be the defenders of Earth which...
and The Fourth World
Jack Kirby's Fourth World
"The Fourth World" is the popular name given to a metaseries of interconnecting comic book titles written and drawn by Jack Kirby and published by DC Comics from 1970 to 1973. The characters and concepts were later integrated into the DC Universe....
series. While obviously strongly inspired by this series, Casey and Scioli add their own twist on the stories with a little humor.
It was announced in the solicitations for issue #25 that the series would end with issue #36, which Scioli attributed to sales, although Casey suggested the end point and reasons were less clear-cut:
Plot
The main character of the series is astronaut Adam Archer. As the sole survivor of an ill-fated journey to Mars, Adam Archer meets the alien entities known as the Cosmic Fetus Collective, who transform him into a cosmic being and instruct him in the uses of his new powers. Archer is sent back to Earth as the first human to be touched by universal enlightenment.The series starts four years later. Archer has become a famous superhero, but is distrusted by government and the public. The military have provided him with a base, Infinity Tower, from where Archer and his three sisters, Neela, Angie and Stella, protect the Earth from the invasion of robot zombies. Neela, an astronaut and military commander, resents that her brother's powers overshadow her own talents and that she is forced to keep an eye on him instead of pursuing her own career. Angie, a fighter pilot, is a rebellious spirit, while Stella, who oversees communication with her brother, is clear-headed and rational.
On his adventures, Adam comes into conflict with many bizarre supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
s like Basil Cronus, a floating skull in jar on a quest for the ultimate high, Friedrich Nickelhead, Discordia and her father the Tormentor and his army of Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
-Mice.
On his first adventure, Adam saves the giant, dog-like alien Maxim, who turns out to know about the Cosmic Fetus Collective. Maxim was enhanced by his own species and sent to Earth to contact Archer and prepare him for his destiny. He is rather disappointed with the human race though, who are further from enlightenment than he would have hoped. Nevertheless he is fully committed to his task as a mentor to Adam.
There is a space-god named Iboga
Iboga
Tabernanthe iboga or Iboga is a perennial rainforest shrub and hallucinogen, native to western Central Africa. Iboga stimulates the central nervous system when taken in small doses and induces visions in larger doses. In parts of Africa where the plant grows the bark of the root is chewed for...
who plays an important part in the series cosmology.
Neela has left her family and joined up with a private consortium who want to fly to the stars.
Villainess Discordia's head exploded during her trial, but Nickelhead has sent his servant to collect her body.
Adam has saved the world from an alien invasion, only to be met with distrust and lawsuits. Archer has become annoyed with humanity's distrust of him and their worship of superhero Crashman, but Maxim is about to show him more about his origin.
Collected editions
Image is collecting the series as trade paperbacksTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
:
- Hello, Cosmic! (issues #1-6, 144 pages, January 2006, ISBN 1582405816)
- Another Sunny Delight (issues #7-12, 156 pages, July 2006, ISBN 1582406324)
- Proto-Plastic Party (issues #13-18, 144 pages, July 2007, ISBN 1582407363)
- Amplified Now (issues #19-24, 152 pages, December 2008, ISBN 1582409129)
- Far Beyond the Bang (issues #25-30, 152 pages, March 2010, ISBN )
Image has also published two hardcovers collecting issues 1-12 and 13-24 respectively, with notes from Casey, sketches by Scioli, a cover and advertisement gallery, and an introduction by Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
:
- Gødland Celestial Edition Book One (360 pages, July 2007, ISBN 1582408327)
- Gødland Celestial Edition Book Two (360 pages, August 2010, ISBN 1607062526)
Awards
- 2008: Nominated for "Best Graphic Album—Reprint" Eisner AwardEisner AwardThe Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, and sometimes referred to as the Oscar Awards of the Comics Industry, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books. The Eisner Awards were first conferred in 1988, created in response to the...
, for Gødland Celestial Edition Book One
External links
- Full Issue: Gødland #1, Image Comics
- ComicsInventory.com | Godland
Interviews
- Study of Godland with Joe Casey interview
- Klaehn, Jeffery. Tom Scioli Interview: Gødland and 8-OPUS, POP, February 21, 2009
Reviews
- Review, Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...