Postal #25 Review

The Gates of Eden

Written by: Bryan Hill
Art by: Isaac Goodhart
Colors by: K Michael Russell
Published by: Image Comics (Top Cow)
Reviewer: Andrew McAvoy

Have to confess, I haven't read Postal before, but I can tell you ladies and gents, it is a book that I will be reading again! I have no idea of the background to this issue beyond the brief description on the Image website which is as follows, "The war for Eden is over, but Laura faces the most important choice of her life: What to do with her son Mark's future". Believe me this is enough and this issue proved to be a perfect jumping on point, lets dive in!

So really that's all you need to know to get a lot out of this issue, although I suspect I'll track back and play catch up at some point. The premise behind this issue is simple, at its core is the concept of the human sacrifice through a "sin eater" employed by Laura's husband Isaac to keep the area of Eden pure. This was done by Isaac through the sacrifice of his and Laura's child, a sacrifice never revealed to their son Mark. This issue sees Mark coming to terms with his mother Laura's revelation of that horror. 

Laura does so because she is plagued by nightmares, but is told that for her to dispel the nightmares, and for Eden to remain safe, she must offer up a new sacrifice to the old gods. The plot thickens when Mark finds out that his partner is expecting a child with his partner Maggie. He fears having a child  due to a fear of continuing his family bloodline on to another generation, and also due to the risk of passing on his Asperger's syndrome. 

His partner Maggie though has other ideas, and wishes to keep the child. For an horrific moment Laura and Mark conspire to bring on a miscarriage through poisoning, but Laura pulls away from the plan at the last minute. Instead she goes to the plains to shoot herself, which is exactly where the story leaves us on a cliffhanger (albeit one that was slightly spoiled by the advert for forthcoming issues at the back of the issue). 

Bits and pieces

This is an extended book which runs well beyond the normal comic book page count. The story in this issue made superb use of that space and it packed in some detailed character development. The art is superb but the star of the show was the coloring from K Michael Russell. Wonderful vibrant colors and a vast range of different colors deployed in bold ways. A great comic book, and I'm glad I decided to take the plunge partway through the series. 

8.2/10