If Rat God #1 is your first look at the works of Richard Corben, I envy you. Corben has been an artist's artist for longer than some of us have been alive, and Rat God #1 illustrates that he is still working at the peak of his weird powers, delivering a true-to-form Lovecraftian set-up, wrapped in gorgeous, rock album ready artwork. Speaking to a larger point, Rat God #1 is a book that you could only get from Dark Horse Comics, an imprint that made its name on horror yarns and pulpy output from heavy hitters just like Corben. Rat God #1 is a comic that should have been made in the late '70s, but thank the Elder Ones that we have it now, and a huge Ia Ia Cthulhu Flagetgn to Richard Corben for being the same insane person that wowed a previous generation with works just like this. Rat God #1 won't be for everyone, but for everyone else, it will feel like a cold blast of air on an acrid day. Read Full Review

Dark Horse is a diverse company that definitely gives a lot of respect to the greats in the industry. I'm glad to see the Richard Corben is given a platform to publish new stories to a larger audience and I fully endorse this new tale. Rat God is chilling and has the potential to become a classic nightmare. It feels like a story that could have come from Lovecraft but with enough modern updates that I can fully appreciate it without any lingering guilt over his more controversialviews. I'm ready for the next dose! Read Full Review

Artistically, our characters look as if they were designed on Easter Island, however, the character designs, facial acting, and use of action clearly illustrate the visual elements in the story and enhance the reading experience the way an illustrated story should. Pick Rat God up, and see how the pros tell a story through a visual medium. Read Full Review

Rat God has American Indian horror, early 20th Century Appalachian horror, and a hefty dose of Lovecraft thrown in for good measure. The result is a fairly jumbled but still intriguing debut issue. Read Full Review

Lovecraft is effectively painted as an interloper with a passing interest and fascination with these old traditions and forces, and the story ends before we can see these themes mature. As the story stands, it has much to interest dedicated Corben fans, and those willing to see Lovecraft's proxy, Elwood, get his prejudices fed to him by a tentacled horror, but uninitiated readers might find the ending uneven and less than satisfactory. There is a datedness to Corben's storytelling, especially in the moment at which the past and present collide"it really smacks of plot twists found in the pages of Corben's earliest horror works and doesn't pack quite the punch today as it did then. That being said, as someone pretty invested in all things Lovecraft, Corben's pursuing an intriguing line of thought that both critiques and expands upon what makes the "L" word so mesmerizing. Read Full Review

And that art, though. Even if you're not familiar with Corben's work, the book is worth a flip-through on account of its uniqueness, its idiosyncratic style. I almost wish that Corben had worked with another writer so that he could focus more on the art and tighten up some of the dialogue and pacing, but this is his baby to tell and it's worthy of waiting to see how it all unfolds. Read Full Review

"Rat God" #1 is a story in the Dark Horse tradition, exploring new territory and doing so in spectacular fashion. Corben has a mystery tinged with history that he offers up to readers. He gives the comic just enough mythology (true or made-up, it matters not, as it feels true) to ratchet up the tension and solicit emotional investment from the readers. This is by no means a complete tale, but the events in "Rat God" #1 set the stage of a dynamic adventure to come that is certain to bring a number of surprises. Read Full Review

I guess I would describe it this way: if I stumbled upon it at a friend's house, I would think it was a cool book but it wouldn't stick with me after I put it down. Read Full Review

That being said this is still Richard Corben and I would be tempted to buy a book of his even if it had no words in it at all. His style is so unique and original and it's a treat to see his continued output, even after forty plus years in the industry. Although I would have loved to have seen some more time in the jungle, or more different locales, it's still amazing artistic work. Corben has a heavy line that's not afraid to exaggerate the human form, giving his characters a look and feel all their own. Overall this book left me a bit confused and questioning my purchase of future issues. Based on the art alone I'll be back for one more and I'm hoping the writing can come together so I feel the same excitement for the story as I do for the visuals. Read Full Review

Probably the most widely known bit of Lovecraft is his doggerel from the Necronomicon, “That is not dead which can eternal lie, and in strange aeons even death may die.” That couplet has graced tee shirts, coffee mugs, illustrations, and probably cross-stitches throughout the English-speaking world. It could apply very easily to the work of Lovecraft, himself, which has shown remarkable durability over the decades since his untimely death nearly a century ago. Especially over the last twenty years the dark bard of Providence has experienced a Renaissance, spurred by scholars such as S. T. Joshi and loving disciples as diverse as Stephen King, T.E.D. Klein, and John Carpenter. Read Full Review

This is a promising story with poor execution. I'm interested in seeing what happens but I can't help but think that Corben would've produced a better book if he had someone else he was working with on this. Read Full Review

If you are up for a short series, full of mystery and headaches, with a Native American theme then this is right up your alley. I'm sticking with it just to see how it all pans out. Read Full Review

Rat God gets away with seeming like a vanity project from Corben. It's not technically or artistically bad, but at no point does the story seem inspired, or even interested in itself. There's a page worth of bad expository panels when Clark meets Kito, that are the worst kind of "I just met you, so let me tell you everything about myself" expositions that Corben's old enough to know better than to try to sneak past the readers. The whole book ends up taking a cue from this tone, ending up as a well-visualized but ultimately wooden and lifeless story. Read Full Review

The whole story just feels very lifeless and stilted, exposition is handled poorly, with our lead just talking to himself, reiterating all the information for seemingly no reason (within the story at least). I don't like tearing into a comic, especially one coming from such prowess, but this just didn't click with me and I don't feel like trying again next issue. This is a comic I really can't recommend, unless you're already a fan of Corben and know something about this I don't. Read Full Review

Bought it because of the cover but was surprised to see the actual art style in the book (seemed a bit rough around the edges) Thr story and characters are alright but nothing really intriguing happens and overall it's just a decent debut.