Godkiller Review

Godkiller, an adaptation of filmmaker Matt Pizzolo’s comic series of the same name, is an “illustrated film,” a medium invented by Pizzolo which melds “elements of anime, radio drama, video games, and motion comics.” The art from the comic, which was provided by Anna Muckcracker, is manipulated with motion animation, and lent a cinematic feel with voice performances, music, and sound design. In other words, it’s pretty much a motion comic.

Personally, I have a problem with motion comics; I always think they feel forced. It’s like when you watch old Scooby Doo cartoons and you’re distracted by the fact that they’re clearly using the same animations over and over; here, the characters don’t really move so much as they are moved. Or when watching an anime or a dubbed kung-fu movie, you may be distracted by the fact that the characters’ voices don’t match the movement of their mouths; in motion comics, the characters’ mouths don’t move at all. You can’t set your own pace like you can with a graphic or prose novel; parts one would read through quickly often feel awkwardly chunky, and confusing bits you’d like to re-read are pressed through and then left behind.

Mind you, these are just my personal problems with the format. Judged within the medium, Godkiller is a pretty compelling steampunk story. The story follows a youth named Tommy, who lives at an orphanage with his sister Lucy in a post apocalyptic dystopian future. In search of a heart to save Lucy’s life, Tommy follows an organ-dealing prostitute named Halfpipe past the boundaries of his city-state and into the dangerous wastes of Outer City. It’s a very gritty and at times, even gruesome affair, full of post-nuclear wastes, mutant monsters, and “sex magic” (if the term “weaponized orgasm” doesn’t sound appealing, stay far, far away). I haven’t read Pizzolo’s novel Silent War, another part of the Godkiller story, which is included in audiobook form on the DVD, but it might be a good idea to check it out first; here, you’re kind of thrust right into the story, with only a vague idea of what’s going on that just seems to get vaguer as the universe expands, rather than the other way around. The dialogue is decent enough, with a few sparkling moments of witty brilliance, and Muckcraker’s art is appropriately dark and bizarre. Her pencils set an otherworldly tone – which is appropriate, since this world is definitely not our own.

Again, Godkiller: Walk Among Us is a pretty cool story. The DVD may be your thing if you’re not in the mood to read, but given the choice I’d rather take the plain ol’ comic. How do I know? The first two chapters are included as a PDF file on the DVD. Take a peek below at the preview clip.