Summary
- Golgotha Motor Mountain #1 offers a stomach-churning taste of body horror with unusual characters, promising an ooze-filled, slimy, psychedelic sci-fi horror story.
- The series keeps readers in the dark, heightening the horror aspect, as even the reader doesn’t know what’s happening, or have all the facts they need to understand what the protagonists are up against.
- Golgotha is a dangerous township filled with degenerate characters, and the mystery of the old rock crash landing adds to the already existing danger. The story establishes a rich history and intriguing world-building in just 32 pages, setting up an exciting run in future issues.
Warning: Spoilers for Golgotha Motor Mountain #1!Golgotha Motor Mountain proves to be another rousing, spine-tingling entry into the sci-fi horror genre from IDW Publishing. IDW are no strangers to dabbling in science fiction or horror. Some of their best works include Breath of Shadows, Dead Seas, and, of course, the current line of Star Trek comics. IDW even presented the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with a sci-fi weapons upgrade.
Golgotha Motor Mountain #1 – by Matthew Erman, Lonnie Nadlerz, and Robbi Rodriguez – will continue this trend from IDW. The series’ debut is officially set for a March 6 release date, but the publisher was happy to offer Screen Rant a special preview of the issue to come.
Based on the start to the series, Golgotha Motor Mountain promises an ooze-filled, slimy, psychedelic foray into the unknown to come during its run. The first issue dishes out a stomach-churning, yet delectable taste of body horror, with distinctive – if not unusual – characters helping to build anticipation for an unconventional story.
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“Golgotha Motor Mountain” Is IDW Publishing’s Strangest Sci-Fi Odyssey Yet
[Golgotha Motor Mountain’s] unease does not merely stem from the mystery of the supposed “old rock” or the character’s misunderstanding of the stakes involved around it, but from the sense that not even the reader knows what’s happening, that readers themselves aren’t being clued into all the facts.
The first issue disarms its reader with the opening words: “This ‘ere is the story of an old rock.” In many ways, this is a story about an old rock, but the story unfolds far more intricately than such an oversimplification would imply. Even the story corrects itself later on, as the narration admits that calling it an old rock would be a lie, “but sometimes lyin’ is easier than the alternative. Especially when the truth itself remains elusive.” That very much feels like the running theme of Golgotha Motor Mountain’s premiere issue. There’s a constant sense of unease throughout the story so far.
That unease does not merely stem from the mystery of the supposed “old rock” or the character’s misunderstanding of the stakes involved around it, but from the sense that not even the reader knows what’s happening, that readers themselves aren’t being clued into all the facts. Readers don’t learn that the flying, meteoric rock harbors a “parasitic genetic material” capable of “cleaving, replication, mutation, and the like.” By then, the rock is already moments away from doing its damage. Leaving the reader in the dark until the right moment presents itself helps heighten the horror aspect of the story while helping make it feel all the more exciting.
“Golgotha Motor Mountain” Is An Unflinching Portrayal Of Rural Horror
The story paints a sharp picture of the township of Golgotha, a dangerous place to be far before a parasitic space rock came anywhere near it. As it turns out, much of the danger that makes Golgotha unlivable has nothing to do with the unsavory goons who claim it as their home.
However, much like Erman and co. for their comic, it would be preemptive to continue gushing about the details that make this comic a must-read without first expounding on what the series is about. The meat of the story follows two hillbilly brothers, Elwood and Vernon Damnage, running their very own meth lab together out in Golgotha Knob, Kentucky. Their lives change forever when an asteroid from outer space called Pohaku Pa’a crash lands on their residence, ruining what would have been their last batch before leaving for a proposed move to Cincinnati. Still, the brothers have buyers that need to be supplied.
Risk of contamination aside, the brothers embark on a journey that becomes only further complicated when their supply gets mixed in with the remnants of the asteroid, in more ways than one. The brothers’ attempt to get their product to their customers allows the readers a chance to learn more about each of these eccentric characters. Not just the eccentric brothers at the center of this story, but the local characters who surround them in Golgotha. The story makes it clear from the start that the area of its setting is packed with every brand of degenerate that the reader can imagine.
From “satan worshippers,” to “meth pigs,” to “racists,” Golgotha is filled with a questionable sea of characters. That feels all the more evident when the brothers visit their first customers of the series, the Mid-South Europa Resistance, a sub-section of the Ku Klux Klan. The story paints a sharp picture of the township of Golgotha, a dangerous place to be far before a parasitic space rock came anywhere near it. As it turns out, much of the danger that makes Golgotha unlivable has nothing to do with the unsavory goons who claim it as their home. The narration ensures that the readers know this as well.
Golgotha Stands Out As Its Own Character As Madness On Motor Mountain Looms
In 32 pages, Golgotha Motor Mountain finds a way to pack several decades worth of history into this new universe, while simultaneously setting up some interesting building blocks to bring readers back for future issues.
According to the narration, Golgotha is unincorporated and unclaimed by the nearby municipality of Bonne Laurelle. The city council of Bonne Laurelle refuses to acknowledge that Golgotha even exists, let alone where it lies in its physical connection to the township. They have even gone on to claim that the air quality is unfit to breathe, which may or may not be accurate considering that the same road that gets travelers to Bonne Laurelle also gets them to Golgotha. It’s clear that Golgotha has its problems when readers discover the runts who live there, but perhaps there is a bigger plot point waiting to reveal itself.
One has to wonder if there is something that someone, anyone is trying to hide when such great lengths are taken to distance themselves (literally) from other parts of the world since a split from the Grey Bird township. Perhaps there was always something unusual beneath the surface of Golgotha well beyond its people and well before those people gave it a bad reputation. That is the true intrigue behind Golgoth Motor Mountain. In a short amount of time, it showcases a tremendous wealth of world-building, establishing a rich history, but also utter patience in its readiness to share it.
Multiple pieces regarding the town, its characters, the space rock, and of course, the brothers in the middle of it all continue to fall into place. Watching everything unfold in real time is nothing less than captivating to read. In 32 pages, Golgotha Motor Mountain finds a way to pack several decades worth of history into this new universe, while simultaneously setting up some interesting building blocks to bring readers back for future issues. From a writing perspective and even from an artistic perspective in trying to make all of this visually appealing, this is no easy task, but the creative team of IDW Publishing’s latest hit pulls it off.
Golgotha Motor Mountain #1 will be available March 9, 2024 from IDW Publishing.
