Good stories are often a mix of real life and fantasy. That happens a lot in comics, even of the superhero variety. Those kinds of tales often have someone who becomes a hero only when a major, unexpected event takes place that changes their entire life. And that’s pretty much what you get with Donny Cates’ God Country. 

Set in Texas, the story focuses on a seemingly bitter old man who is angry at life and everyone around him without knowing why. Emmett Quinlan suffers from Alzheimers and remembers very little about his life. But then a tornado levels the town and it all comes back to him, thanks to an enchanted sword that has somehow fallen to Earth. But of course, the gods want their sword back from him and he doesn’t want to give it, or his recovered memories, back.

God Country is an interesting read, partly because it’s simply not your typical hero story. It is very emotionally tinged because it involves a victim of Alzheimers, his family and the effects it has on both. But Cates did a good job of showing how important memories can be and how fiercely someone who has lost them is willing to fight to win them back.