No Gods No Masters #2 – The Kaiju Aren’t The Only Monsters You Have To Worry About!

No Gods No Masters

Writer – Julio Anta

Artist – Jacoby Salcedo

Colorist – Francesco Segala

Letterer – Becca Carey

Cover – Jacoby Salcedo

Read the review of the last issue in this series HERE!

The Story:

Our trio of unlikely heroes continue to make their way through New York City in search of Felipe’s mother. Along the way, they will have to deal with monsters, both fantastical and mundane.

The Writing:

Julio Anta continues this story by keeping it grounded in the personal relationships between these characters. By setting this story in New York during a massive attack, Anta has a built in mechanism to allow the character’s backstories to be slowly fleshed out during the long walk to their destination. Speaking of the backstories, I really appreciate the delicate use of exposition that draws the reader in instead of beating them over the head with word vomit. The little bits of background we’ve gotten in these issues fleshes out the characters in a way that makes me want more. Like any good apocalyptic story, the literal monsters are not the only ones our protagonists have to deal with. Anta handles a very timely interaction with a law enforcement group and it is so satisfying to see just how the three heroes decide to deal with it. Hats off on that confrontation, I found myself on the edge of my seat waiting for the first bat to be swung and I was not disappointed.

The Art:

I really don’t have the words to describe how wonderful Jacoby Salcedo and Francesco Segala are in this book. With this second issue, this art team has managed to take the art already laid out in the first issue and, somehow, made it more impressive. The line work, settings, and character design are all flawless. Each panel is a work of art and the layout of those panels during action scenes lend to a real sense of motion. The action and horror are visceral, and Francesco Segala’s colors add such a depth to the violence on the page. The art also never feels gratuitous, it’s not gory for gore’s sake. Once again, the actual monsters in this book are terrifying and fun to look at with a scale that feels daunting and impossible for our protagonists to deal with. The art team adds a layer of impossibility to the task at hand for Felipe and his friends.

Overall Grade: 10/10

At only two issues in, No Gods No Masters is already knocking at the door to become the best comic book of the year for me. This world is deep and interesting, and it is able to have fantastical elements while still feeling like the world you see when you look out your window. I need more of this story immediately. I will not be happy until I get, at least, 18 spin-off series, an animated series, and a live action adaptation on the big screen. Inject more of this story straight into my veins!

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Have you read this issue? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!