Armano’s role with Gogor is more than he bargained for, and who knows where destiny will take them next? Find out more in Gogor #3!

GOGOR #3

Writer: Ken Garing
Artist: Ken Garing
Letterer: Ken Garing
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: July 10, 2019

Previously in Gogor: The title character arose in the middle of a fight against the Domus. Not only were their weapons nearly useless against him, he easily overpowered them with his strength. Armano wants to return to his home of Academea, but Gogor has other plans. Instead they head for Bogwell Major. Back on Academea, General Magus (leader of the Domus) searches for the scroll that Armano has, and ultimately sends his personal assassin Amphax to retrieve it. On Bogwell Major, Armano and Gogor meet some friendly bog people and learn they must seek out the mysterious sorceress, Tetra Hedron.

OFF TO NEW PLACES

Gogor #3 opens at Tetra Hedron’s abode, and she appears to be a mentor Armano meets along his Hero’s Journey. It’s a brief but peaceful respite – she gives them tea and a bath, and we learn a little more. Gogor is some sort of cyclical entity – he is different each time he appears. Having awakened him, Armano is now his Keeper, and there are rules. As we already suspected, Gogor leads and Armano must follow. Gogor also needs to rest once a day in the soil, where his flesh dissolves and is reformed. We also learn that Gogor has bones – they don’t get a magical renewal, so there is his potential Achilles heel. For guidance along his quest, and this is rather clever, Armano needs to pick some of Gogor’s vegetation and make a tea out of it, which will give him visions. He sees a vision of the island Animalea. Tetra also gives him a crystal skiff, which is a floating pink rock they can use for transportation, and off they go.

Amphax the assassin has reached Greenpeak, where Gogor was brought to life. He sniffs around and gets an idea of where they must have gone. (He’s a reptilian humanoid – he sniffs around with his tongue, which is just a little creepy.) To get to Bogwell, he whistles on a bone flute and summons a winged creature that looks like a cross between a manta ray and a bat. It wraps itself around his torso and voilà – wings!

Armano and Gogor return to pick up Wexil and Armano’s shrew, and off they go. Amphax drops in on them and grabs Armano. There’s a big fight between Amphax and Gogor. Amphax manages to pull a bone out of Gogor. Gogor gets a grip on Amphax, grabs him by his tail, whirls him around and flings him away. They seek shelter and find that they have reached Animalea. Some friendly beings take them in, and Armano is reunited with Rector Bice from Academea.

A Hero’s Journey is such a timeless structure, and it’s a good one. There’s a reason we as humans keep returning to it. Still, the plot follows it closely, and what makes it feel interesting are the places and people we see along the way. I think some of the payoffs follow the setups a little too closely. We find out Gogor’s potential weakness is his bones, and one of them gets taken a few pages later. The story is still enjoyable to read, but it does feel somewhat predictable in places.

GREAT BEAUTY AND SUBTLE HUMOR

The use of color in Gogor #3 is rich and lovely. Complementary colors work their magic to help make scenes pop. The design of this world seems to run deep. Here we are, racing from one floating island to another, and such care is taken with the flavor and scenery in each one that it feels like we travel to completely different places. Tetra’s tower (or sanctum) looks like a very comfortable, homey wizard’s place with deep ties to nature. In the vision of Animalea, we see several different people, all plainly animals, but dressed, carrying packs, doing every-day things.

Still there is fun to be had. Tetra’s outfit is comfortable pants and a poncho-like top. After Armano has his bath, he gets the same kind of outfit. And then we see that Gogor, too, is draped in a large poncho. I thought that was cute. Gogor flinging Amphax around is amusing too, as well as satisfying.

BOTTOM LINE: A LUSH, GREEN HERO’S JOURNEY FOR ALL

Gogor #3 is a comfortable story with an ecological bent set on an interesting and richly populated world. While I haven’t seen anything in it that truly surprises me, I do find it to be rather delightful, and it is still very pretty to look at.

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Gogar #3

73%

73%

A Comfortable Story

Armano accepts his destiny and follows Gogor to a new floating island.

• Writing

  6
• Art

  9
• Coloring

  7
• User Ratings (0 Votes)
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