Gospel #1 Review: Will Morris Takes Readers on a Ghibli-esque Odyssey

The most interesting stories are those that happen at intersections, places where different genres and themes collide to take on larger issues and questions as part of the adventure. It's that notion of storytelling within the intersection of many things which Gospel #1 exists. It reveals a tale that is much more than it initially seems – taking the threads of medieval history, the hero's journey, issues of faith, and all out adventure to take on something bigger—namely questions of self—while providing a dreamy visual quality as dynamic as the story on the page.

Gospel #1, from cartoonist Will Morris, introduces readers to the restless hero, Matilde and the storyteller Pitt, a pair of young people living in England during the early 16th century, both of them trying to find their destiny in an interesting time in history as England breaks from the Catholic Church. But the pair soon enough find themselves swept into what's poised to be a wild and dangerous quest when "the devil comes knocking."

It's a very layered story, even in this first issue and it really works. Readers are immediately dropped into a wild chase scene that's quickly revealed to be a story – a story that's then itself revealed to be a legend built off of one of Pitt's own stories. It's here that Morris pulls back the curtain a bit and drops the reader into the truth. By itself, that would be a clever bit of story craft, but Morris takes it further and weaves in the present as well, using the same general conceit: the idea of stories ordering reality to express truth. Functionally, as a reader, I found that pivot to the present before returning to Matilde and Pitt's story to be a bit too complex—it took multiple reads to realize the role that interlude played—but once it clicked, the rest of the issue fell into place, especially with the (literally) explosive cliffhanger at the end.

Moving beyond the scripted aspects of the story Morris is also responsible for the artwork. The issue is advertised as being inspired by the works of Hayao Miyazaki, "Ghibli-esque," and that is true both on its face and in its feel. While there are real threads of religion and oppression thrumming through Gospel, there's also a sense of magic in the way the characters and images move through it. Everything has an additional complexity, much like one finds in Studio Ghibli works and that makes for a somewhat unique experience that feels familiar at the same time.

That is perhaps what makes Gospel #1 such a strong first issue. It's the intersection of the unique and the familiar. Morris has created something that is equal parts history and fantasy, and that looks classic and new in the same breath. It isn't perfect—there's that previously mentioned transition between the past story and the present tense that was a bit of a rough spot—but it is very, very good and It will be interesting to see what adventures and quests these characters get into discovering themselves now that the devil has come knocking and we are all along for the ride.

Published by Image Comics

On November 9, 2022

Written by Will Morris

Art by Will Morris

Colors by Will Morris, Holley McKend

Letters by Will Morris

Cover by Ver