Reviewer: Chris Delloiacono
Story Title: God is Red: Part 1-3
Created and Pencilled by: Sal Abbinanti
Written by: Andrew Dabb
Inked by: Buzz
Covers by: Alex Ross and Glenn Fabry
Colored by: Christina Strain and Beth Sotelo
Lettered by: Dave Sharpe
Publisher: Speakeasy Comics
Over the past few years, my taste in comics has gravitated away from the common superhero stories that DC and Marvel publish on a monthly basis. Especially since so many stories from the past decade are being forgotten, so editorial may return to a stagnant status quo.
I love truly original concepts in the world of comics. There are a ton of them right now. It’s just that very few can be found at Marvel and DC. To find an innovative comic these days you have to look around a bit. Speakeasy Comics recently launched Atomika which is brilliant, ground-breaking, and utterly unlike anything you’ve seen in comics before.
Guaranteed to last twelve issues, Atomika is a masterfully laid out story. Thanks to artist Sal Abbinanti, I was able to read the first three issues of Atomika in a single installment. Reading the first quarter of the epic, I was hooked long before reaching the end of the third issue. I expect you will be too.
Issue #1 introduces us to the world of Atomika — an alternative Earth where Russia is the only power. It’s a dirty, ugly world where industry and machinery have sullied the atmosphere and left the masses living in squalor. The story begins in 1928, introducing a young boy that is taken by Arohnir, the true power of the state. The boy is subjected to a long, painful process which begets Atomika, destined to be the godly symbol for Russia in the twentieth century. Atomika, in Arohnir’s name, destroys the “old” gods. Along the way, we meet a number of colorful villains, poor souls, and beings of might. Writer Andrew Dabb seeds the way for the months to come with his introduction of characters and situations, but never loses readers in the here and now.
Issue two jumps ahead to 1962 where the well-established, all-powerful Atomika is second only to Arohnir. Arohnir creates a new group of gods to join Atomika, called The State. The State is a super-team that outnumbers Atomika. Unfortunately, for them, they don’t outgun him. Atomika pays a “visit” to each member of The State and then confronts Arohnir. The final pages of the book spin away from what you might expect. The decisions made, which I won’t give away, don’t settle issues with a brief encounter. Instead they further lay the groundwork for a major confrontation later.
Issue #3 moves to 1966 and Atomika’s adventures in Siberia. He gets a closer look at the poor rabble and the effect that Arohnir’s rule is having on the nation. Atomika gains greater power in a battle with Morosko, the god of winter. The complications are increasing exponentially between Arohnir and Atomika. Still we are made to wait a bit longer for this conflict.
The pacing in Atomika is excellent. There’s a lot going on, but I never feel lost. Sensory overloaded perhaps, but not lost. Other than the pacing and interesting characters, the use of Atomika’s first-person narration to lead us through the story is brilliant. The writing is almost poetic in its structure and form. The narration makes the reader one with Atomika extremely quickly. Access to Atomika’s thoughts make us privy to his motivations, insecurities, and allow the reader a level of understanding for his actions. All for a character that would have been hard to identify with if we just watched his actions and “heard” his words. I don’t know about you, but I usually don’t have a weak spot for all-powerful characters that are angry, aggressive, and show no compassion. Dabb and Abbinanti have me fully invested in the character after only three issues!
The themes of godhood, creating an all-powerful life form, and the treatment of the lesser classes are all heady stuff. The jumps between issues allow the reader to connect some of the dots on their own, keeping the pace brisk, and allowing the linear story to show a great deal of history in a brief period. We’ve moved from the 1920s on to the 1960s in the course of three issues. George Lucas used a similar technique in passing time from film-to-film in the Star Wars series. There’s no reason to go from point a, to b, then to c, ad infinitum. Jumping from A-F is no problem when your structure is sound. Mix in these deep themes with the fantastic structure, and you’ve got something special.
The first time I looked at the artwork in Atomika it didn’t really do if for me. That was more from the cursory nature of my glance, though. When I sat down and read Atomika the artwork blew my mind. Sal Abbinanti is using a twisted style to bring out the ugliness of the world. There aren’t any joyous panels with the characters having a great time. And that’s an absolutely ideal merging of words and images! Tonally and stylistically Sal Abbinanti’s art makes the series nearly perfect!
Too many books feature a writer/artist combination that has no business on a particular book. The collaboration between Andrew Dabb and Sal Abbinanti on Atomika is pitch-perfect! The writing is extremely thought provoking, and the artwork fits the dark nature of the story to a tee.
