The Last God Chapter 2 Review

Creator & Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson

Artist: Riccardo Federici

Colorist: Sunny Gho

Letterer: Tom Napolitano

Published by: DC Black Label

After a great introduction in chapter one of The Last God, writer Kennedy Johnson comes back this month with a strong showing in chapter two that acts as both a continuation of the first issue, as well as a look back at the life of Tyr, the now, for all intents and purposes, former head of the kingdom. 

Kennedy Johnson’s use of flashback in this chapter serves, from what I can see, a dual purpose: a look back at the life of Tyr and his first meeting with his queen Cyanthe and the continuation of the previous issues climactic revelation of what Tyr was hiding. In both cases, the action is quick, methodical in purpose, and gives us the first real glimpses of what kind of  power the Last God, the demonic tyrant Mol Uhltep, possesses. And this is the key here: the evil of Mol Uhltep is omnipresent throughout the book as during the flashback sequences, we get our first glimpses of its power in a more intimate sequence - it is chasing after Tyr, his broth, Cyanthe, and her father. In contrast, the present showcases the rampage capabilities of this monster as it literally overruns the entire city as our heroes attempt to escape. 

Last issue, we met Eyvindr, the gladiator, who in this issue is present, but does take a back seat in the storytelling to Cyanthe and the Ferryman King. He is moreso along for the ride, and looking more and more like the prototypical hero that we see in such entertainment like Star Wars’ Luke Skywalker. We’ll see if Kennedy Johnson changes the narrative of the hero's journey in later issues.    

Federici and Gho continue to be stars in this issue. I especially liked Gho’s colors this time around as his choice of color palettes lend a great visual queue to the reader of the changing time frame from one page to the next. Without even reading anything on the page, you know when you are in the flashback and when you are in the present. Coupled with Federici’s beautiful artwork, and you get a comic that is not only a lot of fun to read, but a pleasure to look at as well. 

The Last God is shaping up to be a great addition to the fantasy epics we have come to love and I for one, can’t wait to read more.