You, a fool: “Did Kieron Gillen launch an Eternals spinoff starring the Forgotten One and I missed the first two issues?”
We, an intellectual website: Haha, you fool! We speak of the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of global literature’s earliest surviving works, born of ancient Mesopotamia and a proto-example of the Hero’s Journey monomyth.
You: “You don’t have to be so mean about it. One of the reasons people can be turned off by comics is the pseudo-intellectual gatekeeping displayed by some of its fans.”
We: You’re right. We’re sorry.
Anywho, today sees the launch of the Zoop campaign for the third and final issue of Gilgamesh: Eternal, an adaptation of the epic poem by Cam Kerkau, Kostas Pantoulas and Mira Mortal. To celebrate, Zoop shared with us, exclusively, this cover by artist Gobli Prin. Check it out, and get more deets about the campaign and its creators below.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is the world’s oldest story, dating back almost five millennia. But Gilgamesh’s dilemma is something that remains relevant today: How can you live peacefully after you’ve been confronted by your own mortality?
Gilgamesh: Eternal is a reimagining of the Epic of Gilgamesh as a fantasy-action comic written by Cameron Kerkau with art by Kostas Pantoulas (Irwin Allen’s Lost in Space: The Lost Adventures, Freak Snow: Washed in Blood) and letters by Mira Mortal (Doll Island, Made up: Zombie Clown Circus).
In Gilgamesh: Eternal #1, Gilgamesh traveled to the Cedar Forest with his love, Enkidu, to conquer the giant Humbaba. With the help of some benevolent gods, they vanquished the beast and returned home to a hero’s welcome. But, unfortunately, a jealous goddess had more than monsters in store for the dynamic duo.
In the wake of Goddess Inanna’s meddling, Gilgamesh: Eternal #2 finds the city of Uruk shattered and Gilgamesh lost to the unknown wilderness. He searches the ends of the Earth for the wisdom of Utnapishtim the Immortal, for Enkidu was his equal and exact opposite, and if Enkidu can be killed — what does that mean for Gilgamesh? Meanwhile, Shamhat, high-priestess to Inanna and Gilgamesh’s closest companion, is elected king regent of Uruk in his absence. A political pawn amid gods, Shamhat must navigate celestial ambitions while campaigning for peace among her people.
Now, in Gilgamesh: Eternal #3, the fate of Sumer hangs in the balance as an army marches to Uruk’s door and Gilgamesh shows no sign of return. He journeys with Urshanabi the Ferryman beyond the borders of the natural world. Perhaps he has found the answer to his mortality, but will he reach it in time and, more importantly, what will be the consequences?
Kerkau is an editor and writer of comics based out of Swartz Creek, Michigan. His love of comic script writing began at an early age and developed into a career overseeing projects such as Nightwalkers by Cullen Bunn and Joe Bocardo, In His Own Image by Gabriele Schiavoni, and Corollary by Adam Rose and Robert Ahmad. Gilgamesh: Eternal is a passion project born from a love of history and the comic book form. If funded, Gilgamesh: Eternal #1-3 would be Cam’s third successful crowdfunding campaign.
Dan Grote is the editor and publisher of ComicsXF, having won the site by ritual combat. By day, he’s a newspaper editor, and by night, he’s … also an editor. He co-hosts The ComicsXF Interview Podcast with Matt Lazorwitz. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, two kids and two miniature dachshunds, and his third, fictional son, Peter Paul Winston Wisdom.
