Gogor

Gogor by Ken Garing
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When the Domus attack the floating islands of Altara, Armano is lucky to escape with his life on the back of his giant shrew, Mesmer. Armano seks Gogor, the monster that sleeps within the earth to defeat the Domus. But is even Gogor enough?

While my wife and I stood in line on Free Comic Book Day, I spied the first issue of Gogor on the rack and picked it up along with my freebies. Once the trade was solicited, I immediately pre-ordered it.

I've never been a fan of cookie-cutter, Tolkien by way of Dungeons and Dragons fantasy. Luckily, Gogor isn't of that genre. It's more science fantasy with an environmental message. There are islands floating in the sky, some magic, some technology, and some that's a little of both. There are numerous humanoid species, most resembling different animals. Armano rides a giant shrew and one of the villains uses a giant flying manta ray for transport.

The Domus are taking over the sky islands and it's up to the survivors to defeat them, with the help of Gogor! Gogor is a Swamp Thing/Incredible Hulk type of monster. Once Armano summons him, the book kicks into high gear.

While I like the story and the world, the artwork is the star of the show for me. It's definitely a minimalist style, simultaneously reminding me of Jeff Smith's Bone, Moebius, and Nausicaa. I'd love to see more of Ken Garing's art. It's right in my wheelhouse. The only bad thing about this book is that Gogor was cancelled so this is pretty much it. At least there are still plenty of mediocre super hero books for people to fawn over.

While the saga is as of yet unfinished, I liked Gogor quite a bit. Four out of five plant monsters.

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