A god Somewhere

A god Somewhere
Date	June 2010
Page count	194 pages
Publisher	Wildstorm
Creative team
Writer	John Arcudi
Penciller	Peter Snejbjerg
Letterer	Wes Abbott
Colourist	Bjarne Hansen
Creators	John Arcudi Peter Snejbjerg
Original publication
Language	English
ISBN	978-1-4012-2683-1 (SC)

A god Somewhere is a graphic novel created by John Arcudi and Peter Snejbjerg. It was published by DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint in June 2010.

It tells the story of Eric Foster, the first human to develop superhuman abilities, through the eyes of his friends and family.

Plot

In 1992, Sam Knowles is a new black student in a predominantly white high school. When he is attacked by other students, brothers Eric and Hugh Foster come to his rescue. The three form a strong, lasting friendship that is strained when Hugh marries Alma, a girl all three boys find attractive.

Years later, Eric's apartment building mysteriously explodes, but Eric is unharmed. Sam takes Eric to a hospital where they are found by Alma. She and Hugh had split up to search for Eric, but Eric does not hear her explanation and misunderstands Hugh's absence. They see on TV that people are still trapped in the apartment rubble, and Eric rushes out of the hospital to help them. Sam follows him but is left behind when Eric leaps into the air and flies away. Eric returns to his apartment and rescues multiple survivors using superhuman strength and senses. He is caught on film by news crews, becoming an overnight sensation.

Over the next few weeks, Eric uses his abilities to protect various people. He also becomes more religious, believing God is speaking through him. Sam uses his relationship with Eric to garner girls and career success in journalism. Hugh and Alma are upset by the sudden public attention and wish things would return to normal. They are also slightly afraid of what Eric has become. After a tense meeting with the President of the United States, Eric attacks his brother and rapes his sister-in-law. Hugh survives as a quadriplegic. The police arrive and Eric allows himself to be arrested.

When Sam visits Eric in jail, Eric claims to have been a god in another universe. Sam wants an explanation for Eric's actions, but Eric says Sam can never understand. Eric then escapes from his cell, murdering many guards and innocent bystanders.

During the next year, Eric leaves a path of destruction across the United States, killing any soldier or civilian he encounters. Sam is hired by a national magazine to travel with the military and document the effort to capture Eric. The military discovers Eric is vulnerable to lasers and is able to give him a mortal wound. Eric kills all the soldiers present and has a brief talk with Sam. Eric tries to explain his actions, but Sam does not understand. The Air Force arrives to bomb Eric, and Eric saves Sam's life by throwing him from the blast area. Eric mentally controls Sam's flight path, giving Sam a taste of what superpowers were like. Eric is killed by the bombs.

Sam becomes famous for the articles he writes about Eric, and his agent pushes him to write a book. Because his articles inspired a cult devoted to Eric, Sam declines to write anymore. He visits Hugh and Alma, learning Alma still suffers from posttraumatic stress disorder. Sam leaves, deciding to move on with his life.

Reception

A god Somewhere debuted to mostly positive reviews,^[1][2][3] Fangoria called it "artistically riviting."^[4] Onemetal.com said "John Arcudi’s original graphic novel evolves from a simplistic, almost cliched tale of a man who wakes up with superpowers to an unrecognizable nightmare."^[5]

References