Venom and Thor fans will love this Marvel writer's wild cosmic sword saga

You need to read Donny Cates' God Country

Before he crafted his own corner of the cosmic side of Marvel, with runs on Venom, Thor, and Guardians of the Galaxy, writer Donny Cates made a name for himself with creator-owned comics work. He broke out in 2017 with the miniseries God Country, which stars a talking sword god. And it's exactly as cool as it sounds.

Drawn by Geoff Shaw (Cates’ partner on plenty of comics, like Thanos Wins), God Country follows the Quinlan family as they get mixed up with the gods of the Kingdom of Always, which sits in a realm outside of our own. After a sentient sword named Valofax crash lands by his home in Texas, the elderly family patriarch Emmett Quinlan takes possession of the weapon, which miraculously cures his Alzheimer's. But there's a catch — the god who forged Valofax wants it back.

Valofax doesn’t actually speak until the second issue, and right away it has a commanding presence. Aristus, God of War, has traveled to Earth on behalf of his father Attüm, who created Valofax “a long, long time ago…” (in a realm far, far away). Valofax commands Aristus to kneel, and he does so with a frightened look on his face. Valofax also intimidates Emmett, who feels a bit too boisterous wielding this 12-foot-long greatsword. The way it carries itself shows it’s no mere tool or weapon to be commanded by another, but a god that demands respect.

As Valofax later explains, it’s the God of Blades. Not just swords, but anything with a sharp edge and pointed tip. It lords over your bread knife and screwdriver. (Valofax even summons kitchen knives and the like later on to defend the Quinlans.) This is not just one greatsword, but the embodiment of all blades that have existed, exist, or ever will exist.

“I am blocking endless blows, flying through the throats of a thousand ancient, galactic evils, and drowning in the blood of a million dying warriors in places you have never heard of and will never see,” Valofax tells Emmett and his granddaughter.

It’s one of the most metal pieces of dialogue Cates has written, and this man knows metal.

But as much as God Country is about a talking sword god, it’s also about families and how we’ll do anything to hang onto them — or even just the memory of them. As long as Emmett holds Valofax, his Alzheimer's is temporarily cured and his memories rush back. This sets up the main conflict: While you or I might quickly give up a sword when a God of War asks for it back, Emmett refuses. It’s his only way of knowing who his granddaughter is or remembering his late wife. Emmett ultimately goes to hell and battles gods in space against the backdrop of a black hole to hang onto the memories of the ones he loves.

Shaw’s artwork is impeccable in God Country, rich with textured detail and settings, from the inside of a Texas ranch to a crumbling space kingdom. The battles are kinetic, and no panel is wasted in both the stretches of action and the tender, more human moments.

God Country is only a six-issue miniseries, but Cates has ideas for more. In a 2025 interview with Popverse, he said he has ideas for a seque. There's also hope for an adaptation, as Legendary Pictures (the company behind the Godzilla Monsterverse) re-ups its film option on the comic each year. (COVID-19 and the 2023 writer’s strike have paused work on it, and that’s to say nothing of what Cates’ has gone through since a devastating car accident in 2022.)

Regardless of whether God Country ever returns for a sequel or film adaptation, the original series is well worth a read. It blends together epic art, a personal story, and one of the coolest swords around.