Exclusive: GOD COUNTRY #2 Variant Covers From Image

The hype train is bulding momentum for Image Comics’ highly-anticipated 2017 release, GOD COUNTRY.

The mystical family adventure from Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw is set to hit shelves in January, and stores are already in thep process of ordering their books for the months that follow.

With that being said, ComicBook.com has an exclusive look at the variant covers for issue #2 of the new series, and they tease an even deeper dive into the vast and wonderful world of GOD COUNTRY.

The first cover, which will appear on most issues, features an illustration by Geoff Shaw. The series artist brings his unique southern style to the cover, and focuses on one of the book’s beaufitul Texas landscapes.

The title of the book sprawls vertically across the cover, taking up the majority of the space. Underneath the words, Emmett can be seen wielding his magical sword. It almost seems as if the character is preparing for battle, which teases some epic action in the issue.

In addition to the cover illustration by Shaw, the colors were added by Jason Wordie. This duo collaborates on the art throughout the book as well.

Author Donny Cates has sung the praises of Shaw’s work throughout his career. The two have worked together on numerous projects, and Cates thinks that, often times, Shaw takes the story into his own hands with his brilliant illustrations.

In an exclusive interview with ComicBook.com, Cates gave some recognition to the beautiful works of his artist.

“Yeah. He’s an artist that I back off off a lot. There’s times where I’ve written things where our invisible storyteller on the book has more lines over it, and then I see the art come in, and I just take off all the words. It’s like, “Ah, Geoff sold it better than I could have,” you know?”

The variant cover for GOD COUNTRY #2 is a much bolder take on the story. Instead of teasing action, this cover features Emmett standing toe-to-toe with one of the gods. There’s no telling what they could be fighting about, but the issue will surely address the conflict.

Artist Gerardo Zaffino illustrated and colored the variant, and it brings the majestic nature of the book’s story to the forefront.

GOD COUNTRY #2 will hit shelves in February 2017, following the release of the debut issue in January.

For a full review of GOD COUNTRY, check out our thoughts on the book here.