Writer: Michael Alan Nelson
Art: Mateus Santolouco
Colors: Eduardo Medeiros
Letters: Marshall Dillon
Editor: Mark Waid

Fall of Cthulu: Godwar is the next storyline in Boom!’s ‘Fall of Cthulu’ series, which in themselves are based on the mythos created by legendary horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. Don’t worry though, you needn’t have an in-depth knowledge of Lovecraft’s stories, nor is reading the previous Fall of Cthulhu issues required, though it will heighten your enjoyment of the story. This issue marks the beginning of the battle between the followers of Cthulhu and the heretics of Nodens. Mr. Arkhams plans are set into motion, but when the Dreamlands become involved things start to come apart.

The story starts in the psychiatric wing of Arkham Hospital, where we meet a young man named Cy Morgan who is troubled by images of footprints in the sand. As he speaks to his doctor we find that several people in his life have recently committed suicide or were murdered, and it is believed that these traumatic events forced him into a comatose state that has lasted over a year. The man begins to talk about a godwar and the coming doom that will destroy us all.

While Cy is speaking to his doctor we are introduced to two other aspects of the story. First we see Mr. Arkham who is seemingly preparing himself for some unnamed ominous event. The other side of the coin (re)introduces us to the young woman named Luci Jenifer Inacio Das Neves….Lucifer for short. Lucifer is trapped in the Dreamlands with The Harlot who is calling on Lucifer for a favor as a punishment for Lucifer stealing one of her boxes. (For the explanation you will need to read the last storyline.) In this particular sequence we are led to believe that The Harlot is running things on the Dreamlands side of the coming Godwar. The Harlot gives Lucifer the task of freeing Cy from the Arkham Hospital.

The story in this issue does a great job of bringing newcomers up to date on the happenings of the story, while also enticing them to go back to read previous issues to get all of the “who’s” and “why’s” that can only be fully understood in the context of those books. Because this first issue is very much a primer on the Fall of Cthulhu world it could seem a bit slow to impatient fans, but it does a great job of setting the stage for what is going to be an interesting, and probably very bloody, story. At this point Nelson is running on all cylinders, and his storytelling is top notch.

As much as I enjoyed Nelson’s story I have mixed emotions about Mateus Satoluoco’s art and Eduardo Medeiro’s colors. On one hand I like Satoluoco’s simplistic style, but mixed with Medeiro’s flat colors it almost feels too simplistic. Many of the colors in the book seem a bit too “bright” for what you would expect to find in a horror title, and the combination makes you feel a little uneasy… but maybe that’s the point. This style was chosen for a reason, and does grow on you as you turn each page.

Overall Fall of Cthulhu: Godwar #1 is a very nice setup for this chapter of the story. New readers are welcome, but longtime fans will not be put off. My suggestion; go grab the available trades, and the as of yet uncollected single issues first, then try Godwar on for size.

3.5 Rabbits out of 5