THE GODDAMNED #1

Jason Aaron and R.M. Guerra's Scalped was one of the best books to come out in the last decade. They're back with a new book loosely based on characters in the "Genesis" section of The Bible. If this were a film or TV show or regular fiction book I think it'd be getting a ton of press because it's controversial. But, alas, it's a comic book. Who cares (Airboy #2's controversy over the "tranny" bar scene in July was pretty much known to only those that frequent comic book news sites and transgender-rights blogs)? Which is a shame, because it's a book worthy of talking about. The art is the star, but the story is interesting enough to cause debate. Cain, son of Adam and Eve, is the main star. In this version he's a gorgeous, un-killable hunk wandering the wastelands of Earth. The villain is Noah. Yep. There's not much else in this first issue but a set-up, and so far it's not even half as good as Scalped or Aaron's other Image book, Southern Bastards, but it does has potential to be a wild, intriguing ride. The art here is gloriously gritty. The cavemen-like people remind me of the infected characters in Crossed. The world is a dirty, nasty hell-hole. It's certainly a violent, rough book. I'm not sure if Aaron is trying to say anything about religion or if he's just out to entertain and write a good story. With art this good, does it matter? **1/2