God of War #1 Review

I don't know why I even bother keeping my chin up and hoping for the best when it comes to videogame comics. I almost invariably walk away disappointed and disillusioned. It doesn't seem to matter what caliber of writer is hired to pen the adaptation. As both a well-respected presence in the industry and as a self-professed fan of the God of War games, I had hoped Marv Wolfman might be able to translate a fun, gory game into an equally fun and gory comic. But sadly, there is neither much fun nor much gore to be had in God of War #1.

The comic follows two distinct points in Kratos' timeline. As the issue opens, the first game has ended and Kratos has settled into his role as the new God of War. He seeks a dose of ambrosia from the Temple of Asclepius. But before the story is able to provide any context for Kratos' actions, the narrative jumps back to a much earlier point int time. Here, Wolfman explores Kratos' origins as a young Spartan and the formation of his cozy little family unit. But before long, Kratos is forced to undertake a quest to save his daughter's life against the wishes of his Spartan brethren.

I appreciate Wolfman attempting to humanize Kratos a little. One of the chief complaints about the series in general and God of War 3 in particular is that Kratos is portrayed as a heartless, cruel, vindictive character. How are you supposed to root for that? Giving Kratos a stake in the current conflict that doesn't center around revenge is a wise choice. Still, Wolfman only manages to make Kratos marginally more likable than he is in the games. He's still needlessly gruff and not that fleshed out of a character when you get right down to it. His mannerisms and bloodlust already render him nearly indistinguishable from the hardened killer he will become.

Another flaw with this issue is that the entire origin sequence is a bit to familiar for anyone who has read 300. Kratos' rite of passage and his journey into the wilderness parallel that of Leonidas a bit too much, right down to the big showdown between Kratos and a wolf. Or wolves in this case, because Kratos can't ever do anything half-assed. By the time the plot actually gets moving the reader may well be bored and wondering where the God of War elements will finally come into play. It's a funny thing about so many current videogame adaptations these days - they offer so little of what makes the games stand out in the first place.

The action does heat up towards the end of the book as Kratos grabs a sword and heads out to slay every demonic monster between him and his ultimate prize. But here the book runs into its other major snafu. Andrea Sorrentino's art is not well-suited to capturing the frenetic energy of the games. It's not even that well-suited to telling a sequential story. God of War #1 reminds me of Wildstorm's Dante's Inferno adaptation in at least one significant way. The art is very attractive at times with its abstract painterly look, but it can be a hassle attempting to decipher many scenes. Sorrentino's work is too static to convey the action at hand. More often than not it's simply too dark to communicate much of anything to the reader. And though this is a minor complaint compared to the rest, it bugs me that Sorrentino draws young Kratos as if he's already become the pale "Ghost of Sparta" we see in the games.

There isn't much to recommend about God of War the comic thus far, which puts it on equal footing with 90% of the videogame adaptations on the market. Still, I won't write it off just yet. Wolfman has only begun to dive into the meat of his story. There's a chance future issues will pick up as body parts start flying and epic showdowns unfold. But maybe I'm just setting myself up for yet more disappointment.