By Dustin Cabeal
After the last issue, I was left with the impression that this story could go on forever. After this issue, it’s pretty clear that the storyline is ending in the next issue. There’s a lot of surprises and twists in this issue that in hindsight you could sorta see coming if you dissected everything from beginning to end.
Our core group of characters have been divided. This includes Ennay and Bob who frankly are no good on their own. Ennay finds himself with the religious nuts and man oh man, do they have a big ass secret. Oh, the character journey that Simon Spurrier puts Ennay on in this issue. The ups and downs and how easy temptation is when you’re finally on the other side and no longer looking on the inside. It plays directly into what Ennay said in the last issue about bullies. It leaves the reader with a looming question about Ennay, what’s his true personality? Has it been revealed or is it yet to be revealed? I’m one of those people that disgustingly bite their nails when something is nerve racking or intense, and I will gladly tell you that I was like that then entire time I read this issue. It was an actual nail-biter for me.
Bob’s story is tied into the little girl’s tale since Bob can’t talk and she’s found herself picked up by the gang that A) tried to kill her mentor and B) is after Ennay. The boss informs her that he didn’t kill his mentor and showed a picture of what happened to her; while informing her that he wouldn’t have done worse. All of this is to establish that he’s a bad dude, but sadly we don’t see him be a bad dude. It’s all talk, but we have to buy into it. The way his god is hidden and used was extremely cool though. It was clever as shit.
Storywise, this issue takes the cake. The sixth issue is going to be up against the wall to deliver something better than what’s done here. The pacing is superb, the character’s journey is amazing, and the reveals can only be revealed once which is why they’re so good here. Spurrier continues to deliver a concept that I can honestly say is the most original story I’ve read this year.
With all of this comes the fantastic artwork by Jonas Goonface. It’s Goonface that meets the challenge of the pacing and structure that Spurrier throws at him. All the little pieces moving together come together in the artwork to make an amazing world populated by real looking people. Never once do I question that this world isn’t real because it looks and feels so much like our world that it’s hard to ignore.
There’s some very point commentary in this book that feels at home in our society right now but also manages to be timeless at the same time. It hits that perfect mark of always being relevant which is amazingly hard to hit. Goonface is making a huge splash in the world of comics after already doing some incredible creator-owned work. You will see his name again and again and hopefully only attached to amazing work like Godshaper. These two creators and three because Colin Bell’s lettering is personally my favorite in the business, are delivering career work here. If you haven’t been reading Godshaper, then damn… I feel sorry for you. This is the best monthly comic there is right now. Stop missing it.
Score: 5/5
Godshaper #5
Writer: Simon Spurrier
Artist: Jonas Goonface
Letterer: Colin Bell
Publisher: BOOM! Studios