Darkseid is dead, and there is a void in the universe, throwing intricately held balances into disarray. As the cosmos adjusts to the loss of this important figure, Metron is granted a vision of what’s to come — a child, destined to either change the world as we know it or bring it all crashing down. It’s a risk the Highfather cannot let stand, but how far will he go to hold on to everything he holds dear? Find out in The New Gods #1, written by Ram V, drawn by Evan Cagle with guest art by Jorge Fornés, colored by Francesco Segala and lettered by Tom Napolitano.
I’m home for Christmas, typing this on a desk in my childhood bedroom. It is crammed with books (mostly Terry Pratchett and Animorphs) and comics. My brother’s and sister’s rooms are much the same — frankly, there aren’t a lot of places in this house where there’s not at least a few shelves of books in your eyeline.
It makes me think of the books I read as a child. I had a fascination with mythology. Indian, Greek, Egyptian, Norse, even a book of folk tales from the Urals that I was especially fond of poring through. Long before I was ever reading superhero comics, I was reading folktales and myths, strange stories of immortal beings from the dawn of time, peppered through with art that instilled a sense of wonder, charm, or whimsy, or some combination of the three. Images I still hold in my mind to this day.
New Gods #1 isn’t that, but there’s a sense of it here. There’s that sense of wonder, a touch of charm and a smidgen of whimsy — and art that will linger in my mind for years to come.
Setting the Stage
There’s often a lot of pressure placed on a new #1. You expect it to sell you on the comic’s premise immediately, for it to give you a sense of exactly what the series or miniseries as a whole will be like. At the end of this issue, even after several rereads, I’m left with a sense that #1 is more about setting the stage, and that the comic’s not really going to hit its stride until #2, or even #3. In fact, the central pitch for the comic — described by Ram V as “what if we had to get seven of the most powerful characters in the DCU, not the Fourth World, to raise a new god?” — is one that is barely hinted at here in this first issue. Several people I know are underwhelmed by this first issue, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there are many more.
It speaks to a certain confidence on the part of the creators — and as big fans as we are of Ram V’s work here on the site, I’d say it’s a confidence that’s earned. Especially as there is a lot to set up here at the beginning.
With DC continuing to try to get us all to care about the death of Darkseid and its new All In relaunch, we take a look at who is the most affected by this news: the New Gods, many of whom have been warring with Darkseid since before Earth’s first superhero ever donned their first costume.
We open with the breathtaking death of a forgotten old god, witness to a prophecy at the boundaries of the universe. Metron, seeking to understand the significance of Darkseid’s death, goes to the Source Wall for answers, and receives a portent of things to come: a child, blessed by “opulences eight,” shall bring about “the reckoning of all.”
Over on New Genesis, as Highfather deals with the dark forces rushing in to fill the void Darkseid left behind, Metron lets Izaya know that an end is coming — though whether this is a sign of doom or a promise of a new beginning is uncertain. In either case, however, big changes are coming that Highfather can’t control, and so he sends his champion, Orion, to kill the child before the prophecy can come to pass.
With what’s left of his conscience, Orion seeks the aid of his half-brother Mister Miracle. Orion needs an escape from his duty, for Scott Free to find a way to save the child from Orion. Scott refuses his call to action — he and Barda have a new child of their own to deal with, a life of domestic bliss on Earth, far from the entanglements of the eternal war between New Genesis and Apokolips. Orion, however, is unyielding. In seven days, he will seek out this child, with or without Scott’s interference. Orion can live with the death of a child on his conscience, but can Scott?
In the meantime, pursued by mysterious, gun-wielding agents, the child the prophecy hinges on awakens to his new power in defense of his parents. And on that cliffhanger, the issue comes to a close.
Beholding Wonders, Both Great and Small
As the pieces are put into place, it’s the art that does the heavy lifting for this issue. Not just in terms of how gorgeous it all looks, but also in the storytelling. Fornés’ art sets the tone — cold, wondrous, cosmic spectacle — while Cagle alternates between exhilarating scenic glimpses of our various settings (New Genesis, Glendale, Kollambur) and body language that sets every major character apart.
The first pages will — and are meant to — hit you hard, as a throwaway god’s very essence disintegrates before our eyes, the death of a god a mere footnote for what’s to come. The opening spread of Amaxasu’s essence returning to the Source as the panels disintegrate just behind the Source Wall’s bestowment of the prophecy to Metron is one of those images that set this book apart. “Something important dies here,” the opening says, “and it is nothing in the face of what is yet to come.”
The issue’s main artist, Cagle, is not given a lot of space to work with, but damn if he doesn’t make full use of every panel he’s got. Segala’s colors give every locale a unique feeling — the glorious magentas shining as the sun shines over New Genesis, the heated gold and orange of the fiery alien Uxtrum VI, the soft daylight that caresses Barda as she sleeps on the couch. A single shot of Highfather staring out at the cosmos has almost as much weight as the opening spread, and it’s barely even the focus of the scene, taking up a little more than a quarter of the page — while a scene on a park bench that takes up two pages barely has any background at all, as the focus is pulled toward Orion and Scott, giving their conversation the limelight. You feel both the universal scale of this story as much as you are drawn into the personal stakes.
These are not characters I care about as much as this comic wants me to, but it’s getting me there. It’s the body language that holds my interest the most. The joy of Lightray, racing through the sky, uncontained by even his own panel borders. The loose, almost cartoonish lines around Scott Free — charming from the get-go, a light heart doing his best in the midst of a much darker story. The tiredness in Highfather’s face, the weariness of one who bears the weight of many years of command on his tightened shoulders. He accepts who he is, the darkness of his choices — and he long ago gave up any hope of imagining there could be any way but his. The shiny, action-heavy Orion shifts from one heroic pose to another. A warrior in every moment, drawn into lines he did not choose for himself and refusing to budge from his role for even a moment.
I want to know what happens to these characters. I want to see how they’re drawn when they’re pushed to, or past, the limits of their roles. This is a story that promises to take them out of their lanes, and if they are too inflexible, it will break them. They must become something new — or, like Amaxazu, they will die forgotten and left behind.
Where We Stand
This issue is a prologue, more than a beginning, and for the moment, it’s not a terribly exciting one. I’m intrigued, but no more intrigued than I was when the creative team for this book was first announced. It’s a tie-in to an event that feels much less important than DC, through its many books, is trying to make it seem, and a prophecy that promises to change everything for the gods means little when the New Gods have been so on the fringes of the DC Universe. I could be excited for what comes after, but from the looks of things, that’s a long way off.
It does not have the magic of the folklore I read from my childhood. These are not beings of myth, they’re comic book characters, tied strongly to other people’s stories, bound to certain formulas and expectations. Clear lines are drawn between the good guys and the bad, and even the morally gray know exactly which side of the line they ought to be on. Nothing has really happened yet, and we must all wait a month to find out whether anything actually will, and whether that’s a story we can all buy into.
But there is wonder. There is charm. There is whimsy, and there is art that lingers in the mind, a feast for the imagination. It understands the difference between stories about gods and stories about superheroes — the latter are heroes of Earth, or wherever it is they choose to call home. Stories about gods, however, see gods as protagonists of the universe, and if you’re in the mood for a story on that scale, The New Gods #1 has got you covered.
One issue in, and over 1,500 words talking about it, and I could not tell you whether I will enjoy The New Gods as a series. But issue #1 is a magical thing, and I will be returning to its pages many times.
Buy The New Gods #1 here. (Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, ComicsXF may earn from qualifying purchases.)
Armaan is obsessed with the way stories are told. From video games to theater, TTRPGs to comics, he has written for, and about, them all. He will not stop, actually; believe us, we've tried.
