Book Review: The God Machine HC

Issue: The God Machine HC
Writer: Chandra Free
Artist: Chandra Free
Publisher: Archaia Entertainment
Release Date: 2010
Pages: 160
Price: $24.95

“Stricken with grief from the death of his girlfriend, Sith, Guy Salvatore struggles to make sense of his world. He’s plagued with hallucinations of monsters that torment him with outrageous requests. Enter Satan: a strange, old man who implores Guy to call upon his latent power to break through his world’s plane to rescue Sith, who he claims is floating aimlessly in and out of dimensional planes known as the “Dream Worlds.” But is Satan to be trusted?”

Artwork: 5.0 out of 5
The only thing I knew about this book before diving into it was how GORE-Geous is was going to be. I will admit though that what took it a notch above most is that Chandra took the time to create every element on every page. The color work reminded me of Dreamkeepers, in that it was just perfect on every page. Free’s style has a seems to be a great mix of the SLG titles with a small hint of Manga here and there. I loved the character designs from page to page, and of course the little demons were my favorites. Overall this is a book that looks as better than most on the market, and the amount of talent on the pages shines through even the darkest of panels.

Story: 4.0 out of 5
I honestly had no idea what to expect from this book, other than how great it would look. The story was something that I felt came out of the pages of my youth. Being a teen in the 90’s I saw the Goth scene like how it was portrayed in this book. I do not know if that is what Chandra was after, but to me it made sense. So within that regard, and much like with the Gothology books, I felt a special place for this book. At times the dialogue did feel a little choppy, but overall it was a solid read, until the “To Be Continued” end! ARGH!!! It was getting so good and then… BOOM! The overall concept is a lot of fun, the execution is great and the real treats are the small jokes that you find here and there throughout the book.

Dying Breath: 4.5 out of 5
While I do think this book might be cornered into a specific market, I think as a comic lover it should be looked at by all. The horror elements, mixed with all the emotional twists and combined with the the perfect style of art make this book a winner. So while I sit here and wait for Volume 2, to find out what is happening with my dearest new friend Guy, I think it’s about time you stepped out from the shadows to go and pick this one up. Like I said, the easy crowd is the Squee, JTHM, Lenore bunch, when it is the ones who read Brian Wood or Terry Moore who need to be giving this one a serious look. Now… when can I have Volume #2?

If you would like to buy or know more about The God Machine HC you can find it at http://www.archaia.com/

The God Machine HC