Epic fantasy stories like The Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones may blend medieval lore with magic, but The Last God is looking to do something a little different. The new fantasy comic series from DC's Black Label is diving into horror, imagining the most grotesque, disturbing, and undeniably satisfying characters and conflicts that exist in the shadows, normally unseen and unexplored by the shimmering, noble heroes. And that extends to the mysterious (and horrifying) gods the creators have now revered.
Screen Rant had the chance to speak with writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson about the extensive lore and mythology constructed for The Last God, and now we're pleased to offer a glimpse behind the scenes, with artist Riccardo Federici's concept drawings of the deities who created the world of Cain Anuun out of the void... and The Last God who has returned to destroy it.
These ancient gods existed long before the world of Cain Anuun and its inhabitants came into being, with none more sinister or terrifying than the titular survivor, described by writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson as the embodiment of the void surrounding Creation, "that’s been hungrily watching us from the window since the day we were born." readers are guaranteed to get more than one insight into the history of Cain Anuun and the gods who once governed it, since the story of The Last God spans decades, following the heroes who claimed to slay the darkness, and the descendants learning the horrible truth.
We'll let Johnson explain how artist Riccardo Federici translated that lore onto the page in all its unsettling beauty:
The gods of Cain Anuun are the creators of their world, living creatures that have long since died (all but one, that is) and left their creation to lesser beings like us. Their stories are remembered by almost no one in Cain Anuun, but we’ll come to learn that their actions left profound repercussions, and their secrets will have to be uncovered for anyone or anything to survive.
Riccardo is a genius at character design, so after explaining to him who the gods were, I left their visual design entirely in his hands. His brilliant designs helped me further flesh out the gods’ characters, their histories, and their roles in the creation of Cain Anuun.
So with that, readers can feast their eyes on the deities behind the ancient history of The Fellspyre Chronicles: Mol Kalakto, Mol Anyue, Mol Rangma, Mol Choresh, Ang Luthia, and The Last God itself, Mol Uhltep.
Artist Riccardo Federici has made sure to turn every preview of The Last God into a mixture of classic fantasy, and nightmarish horror (the likes of which will never be found in the work of either Tolkien or Martin). But for all the time spent creating the races, worlds, and cultures at work on The Last God, Federici was able to let his own imagination run wild in imagining these dark, ancient deities:
I love to design places, environments and creatures from other worlds, so THE LAST GOD offered me the fantastic opportunity to express my passion. When I read the first concepts from Phillip, I immediately came up with thousands of ideas that I then tried to condense into what later became the characters and places of this story. I was lucky, because a lot of characters have been approved right away and this is very important, as it means that there is a great professional harmony between myself and Phillip!
Phillip tried to create a fantasy world that would excite fans of this genre. I had no specific indication on the appearance of the deities. To create them I had to rely only on their story - and that was perfect for me!
These deities are ancient and material but have an unusual and supernatural aspect that does not follow the logic of earthly physical laws. This helps to highlight the peculiarity of the strange, gothic, unhealthy and corrupt universe of THE LAST GOD.
Interested readers and fans of horror fantasy can enjoy these monsters and many more, when DC's The Last God #1 arrives in your local comic book shop October 30th, 2019.