Recipient of the (Lagos Comic Con 2023) Fist Award for Writer of the Decade, Murewa Ayodele is the writer of the Nommo-nominated comic book series New Men, the critically acclaimed webcomic series My Grandfather Was a God, and several Marvel comics. He is also the co-founder of Collectible Comics NG, a Nigerian comic book studio founded with artist Dotun Akande that was nominated in the Comic Studio of the Year category at the 2018 Fist Awards. Dotun Akande is an award-winning comic book cover artist and graphics designer who has worked with some of the biggest brands in Nigeria. He was the recipient of the (Lagos Comic Con 2018) Fist Award for Best Cover Artist and has created comic covers for comic book series like I Am Iron Man, Vengeance of the Moon Knight, Black Panther, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, and Heirs of Apocalypse. Their newest collaboration is the mythic adventure tale, Akogun: Brutalizer of Gods.

Akogun: Brutalizer of Gods is primarily an African dark fantasy graphic novel. Set in the ancient continent of Alkebulan with a mythic cycle of cosmic destiny and unrelenting warfare colliding man against god, this adventure comic will remind readers of some of the great pulp comics of the 1930s and 1940s. The plot is a mythic adventure of gods combatting gods and meddling with the lives of men. These are primal, angry gods, gods of war and chaos that demand flesh and blood sacrifice, and the people are angry. When Ogun, God of War, defeats his rival Obatala, it sets into motion a series of cosmic events and the champion, Akogun, is born.

This is an epic tale, and the art of Dotun Akende really drives it forward. While Murewa Ayodele has carefully created a complete cosmic mythology, including demigods and divine revenge over millenia, it is the art of Akende that solidifies this tale. The balance between realism and stylization is tight, and the bizarre mix of blood and body parts that divine beings leave in their wake are brought to life by colorist Dee Cunniffe. This is a really fun graphic novel, a mythic dark fantasy that is a fast read, brought to life by some great art.

Overall, Akogun: Brutalizer of Gods is a really fun, exciting read. Murewa Ayodele has created a unique mythology, one set on a world populated with living gods and heroes that fight them. Dotun Akande’s art really sells the story, and fans of dark fantasy and epic adventure stories are sure to enjoy this new tale.

Akogun was a beautifully written and illustrated comic that introduces us to its namesake after a gruesome history of divine oppression. I loved this one and need to immediately read the physical when it releases.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me and ARC of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

The synopsis sounded very interesting to me and as soon as a bare-chested Akogun emerged onto the page, I knew this story was for me. Whoever drew him... A++!!! Aside from this, I did enjoy the story. I like that Akogun is trying to avenge his people in the only way he knows how but I also feel that most of his actions are being controlled by Obatala (his real dad and a god). I don't like that aspect of it necessarily. I also don't understand the fight between the original war god and the god of storms. Can any god just attack another and claim their title? Why have none of the other gods tried to fight the new god of war when he's supposedly very weak if that is true? One that that did bother me about this story was the constant time jumps from past to present. If I wasn't paying close enough attention, I'd miss the small the font that declared if it was past or present. I also don't think it helped me understand the story any better. Either way, I did enjoy this and I'm looking forward to reading more.

a worthwhile read that has a deliciously crafted lore, the art is wonderfully done as well, and i adored the tinge of mystery in there.