Review:
It Came from the Used Rack: Godland Celestial Edition Vol. 1

I've worked at the Comic Book Shop in Spokane, Washington (USA) for nearly thirteen years. In that time I've gotten to read a lot of cool comics that I would never have had the chance to read before. Even with this access, there's quite a few titles that slip by me, that I never see, that we don't carry (there's very few that we don't), or I have interest but never make it around to reading. Within the last two years, we started a used graphic novel section that's just exploded with great titles coming in and out. That has given me access to a lot of titles I missed along the way. That's what this series of reviews will be, books that have come in used that I've always meant to read but never got around to.

So first up is Godland Celestial Edition One hardcover.

This book is written by Joe Kelly with art Tom Scioli with a price tag coming in at $34.99.

Before we get into it though, I have to mention how much I love Jack Kirby's comics in the seventies. Specifically, the Fourth World titles (Mr. Miracle, The New Gods, and The Forever People). I think this was the time period where his creativity was the most unique, the decade where he made some of the most out there and cool books, stuff characters that had stuck with me way more than his sixties work that he was famous for. Even before I knew they were Jack Kirby creations, I already loved characters like Mr. Miracle and Darkseid. It was this new found love for Jack Kirby's 70s comics that sparked my interest for Godland. It's like Joe Kelly and Tom Scioli are channeling Kirby from the grave. Grant Morrison calls it "Kirbyesque" in his forward in this book and he couldn't have nailed it better.

The art and storytelling style is spot on Kirbyesque. Joe and Tom have perfectly captured the essence of Jack Kirby comics without being a total and bland copy. These are exciting, a tad cheesy and a whole lot of fun. The Kirby style is a bit New Gods, a bit Eternals and a bit of the early eighties Silver Star. 

The story follows Commander Adam Archer whose failed mission to Mars sees all his crewmates dead. As he struggles for his life, he falls upon this cave with the strange alien technology where he encounters The Cosmic Fetus Collective (so awesome!) who evolve Adam Archer into a creature of immense cosmic power. He goes on to be the protector of Earth as other cosmic beings track Adam to Earth such as cosmic powered gigantic alien dog Maxim. The Earthly super villains are the best part of the book, from the psychedelic junkie Basil Cronus (a green skull in a floating tank on top of a body), to the martini drinking robotic Nickelhead, to the torturous, sadistic queen of pain Discordia. I love the design work on each of the villains, but Discordia really shines here.