John Saul’s The God Project #1
Story: John Saul
Written by David McIntee
Pencils by Federico De Luca
Letters by Warren Montgomery
Bluewater Comics
Release Date: February 22, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

John Saul’s The God Project #1 is the first comic adaptation of any of John Saul‘s work. As a mainstay in the horror genre, it is surprising that it has taken this long to see any of his work rendered in sequential art. While I haven’t read this particular book, I do know the author’s work fairly well and I was quite happy to be able to review this incarnation of one of his earlier works.

The story is a pretty standard one here at the beginning. Three teenagers at play and one disappears, the whole premise of the story hinges on finding the missing teen and the events that transpire during the initial search.

I was really happy to find that the story seems very much like a John Saul novel; David McIntee seems to have gotten the pacing pretty well. I think my only complaint would be that it feels perhaps a bit wooden. Usually the reader can couple the actions of a character along with his speech and any unseen thoughts, but in a comic it sometimes has to be a bit more forthcoming to convey the message. While I got the concept, the wording was just a tad off. Paced well but perhaps it was the turns of phrase that left a little to be desired. Don’t think I didn’t enjoy it, because I did… it just has some growing room, so to speak.

Now the art in this issue is a different story. I understand that Bluewater Comics is a smaller company and I set my expectations as such. That said, the art was severely lacking. Heavy, bold outlines contrast harshly with washed out colors and what looks like sub-par digital colorization. This seems to be a major issue with not just this comic but with a lot of the titles I have seen from this company.

Overall, I was pleased with this one. Granted there is a lot of room for improvement, but I finished the issue looking forward to the next. Saul fans will probably find it entertaining and begin that anxious month to month wait that we all have regarding our favorite comics, but I’m not sure if it will appeal to the masses. I can recommend it to anyone who likes a good suspense or horror read, as that is what he is famous for. Just concentrate on the story and be warned about the art.