God of War Vol 1
By: Thunderheavyarm
We were recently sent an advanced copy from Dark Horse Comics for their new comic series, God of War. Based off the recent video game release from Sony, writer Chris Robertson decides to tell a tale that takes place prior to the game’s main storyline.
Summary
Kratos has escaped to the Norse Lands following his destruction of the Greek pantheon. Attempting to build a life for himself, he takes a wife and restarts a family. Always struggling with his rage, Kratos seeks to test himself by controlling his rage and choosing to not fight. Until one day, he comes across a man being savaged by a bear. Losing control of his emotions he attacks the bear and kills it, but fails to save the man. Admonishing himself, Kratos returns home. But no good deed goes unpunished, as he soon finds out.
Review
The story is a little short, serving more as an introduction to the timeline than telling anything of substance yet. it’s been awhile since I experienced the exploits of Kratos and his son, so the timing of this opening volume that pulls God of War back into this world is perfect. My main concern is that due to this timing, readers may find a narrative "wall" blocking their respective characters development, since it's largely reserved for the main story. Fans familiar with the game know that they both grew as individuals, as did their relationship, and so the return to the early Kratos and Atreus relationship can be a little disappointing.
But that might have been by design; to find a middle ground between the games, and invite gamers to the earlier storyline, including meeting Kratos' wife. We get to see Kratos still coming to terms with his own rage, adding another layer to the original story's simmering subplot surrounding his worry that his son’s rage would ultimately consume him. At the same time, he also has to come to terms that as strong as he is, he’s not able to save everyone.
In the words of Levar Burton, "You don't have to take my word for it!" - if you're a fan of God of War, you’ll need to read the comic for yourself.
The first volume comes out on November 14th, at Dark Horse Comics. If you are a fan of the God of War series, be sure to secure a pre-order today!
Thanks to Dark Horse for providing a digital review copy in exchange for our honest review.