Summary
Warning! Contains spoilers for G.O.D.S. #8!Marvel’sG.O.D.S.is one of the boldest series it has released in recent years, and with the final issue out now, it’s worth reviewing the book as a whole.Exploring the full breadth of Marvel’s cosmic universe, the miniseries is a stunning achievement in both writing and artwork. It constantly throws new ideas at the wall, even as it teases readers with mysteries still to be fully revealed and ends with a promise of more to come.
If readers have any interest in writer Jonathan Hickman, artist Valerio Schiti, or Marvel’s magical and cosmic side,thenG.O.D.S.is 100 percent a book that they should read.
The series broadly follows the two newly introduced groups representing the scientific and magical sides of Marvel’s cosmos,The-Natural-Order-Of-Thingsand The-Powers-That-Be, respectively. Throughout the series, the two groups' human avatars seek to prevent the end of the world while also grappling with what their roles personally demand of them.It’s heady sci-fi and fantasy all at once, bursting to the brim with new ideas and characters.
G.O.D.S.Mixes Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Relationship Drama
Series editor Tom Brevoort has described the book as a mix betweenSandmanandSaga, and the comparison is apt. LikeSandman, the series is a broad look at a mythology that orbits a more familiar universe, with a story jumping around through time and space. LikeSaga, it’s also a story about a relationship, and a world that’s putting that relationship through a stress test.The central relationship between Wyn (an avatar of The-Powers-That-Be) and Aiko (a member of The-Natural-Order-Of-Things) is the glue that holds the series together,even as their worlds try to force them apart.
Sandmanis written by Neil Gaiman, whileSagais written by Brian K. Vaugn and illustrated by Fiona Staples.
This relationship is only the most prominent example of one of the series’ most important themes:the callousness of the “gods” and the wider cosmic and magical world, and how the consequences areonlyfelt by humanity. From themetaphorical magical neutering of audience surrogate Mia, to Aiko being forced to put out her eyes, the series operates on the traditional rules of magic and mythology. This casual cruelty only further highlights the value of a fragile love like Wyn and Aiko’s, investing readers further in their search for some sort of happy ending.
Marvel’sG.O.D.S.is More About Ideas Than Plot
What a plot description doesn’t fully convey, however, is just howfunthe series is as an exercise in worldbuilding. Jonathan Hickman has free rein to explore whatever he wants, and the story often feels less like a typical narrative than it does an opportunity to just put all his cool ideas on a page. Whether it’sthe clinic of Black Swansin issue #5, or the sacrificial journey of Aiko in #6, the series is filled to the brim with set pieces and bold ideas. Most of the issues feel somewhat self-contained as they explore different characters and locales in depth.
As he often does, Hickman also returns to familiar themes and beats throughout the story, which, for fans of his, is always a selling point. Not only does the series reintroduce the aforementioned Black Swans, co-created by Hickmanduring hisNewAvengersrun, butit’s also another Hickman book obsessed with groups and individuals whose roles and lives directly parallel each other. Wyn is also a quintessential Hickman protagonist, a singular man whose decisions have a massive impact on the world, and who discovers that his relationships with those he loves are more important than anything else.
“House of X-Sized”: Jonathan Hickman Reveals G.O.D.S Hardcover Will Contain Previously Unreleased Material
Jonathan Hickman spoke with EW about G.O.D.S., saying the collected edition will feature even more material than the already-packed single issues
The Art inG.O.D.S.is a Spectacular Showcase for Both Its Penciler & Its Colorist
Artist Valerio Schiti is just as crucial to the series' success.Schiti has helmed art duties on multiple Marvel events, butG.O.D.S.might just be his best showing yet. Schiti is a master of character design, and not only does hedesign every new character, but he alsoredesignsSteve Ditko’s classic abstract entities, turning Marvel’s cosmic underbelly into an eldritch nightmare. That Schiti’s characters are so gorgeous only highlights the inhumanity of the entities that intrude into this universe. There’s so much simultaneous beauty and horror in his art, and this will be a book worth buying in trade paperback form.
Colorist Marte Gracia is also incredible as ever, reminiscent of his work on the Hickman-writtenHouse of X/Powers of Xin 2019. Gracia deserves special credit for his work onG.O.D.S.#7, which dips into an almost monochromatic black, white and red palette fora stunning Soviet flashback. The use of color in the book is always deliberate, whether it’s moody and dark for eldritch matters, uncomfortably stark white for the Black Swans’ clinic, or colorful beyond measure in cosmic moments. It elevates Schiti’s already spectacular work, and is worth celebrating in its own right.
Gracia coloredHouse of X/Powers of X#1-5 with David Curiel assisting on issues6of both series. Gracia is also joined exclusively onG.O.D.S.#8 by fellow colorist Fer Sifuentes-Sujo.
Not Every Question inG.O.D.S.Gets an Answer
If there’s one problem with the series as it currently stands, it’s that it’s clearly an unfinished story. The series ends on a cliffhanger (even if it’s easy to guess what decision is made), and multiple subplots — from the mysterious message of the Black Swans to the very meaning of the series title — are left unanswered. Even the ostensible main plot of the series,the conflict with the In-Betweener, is apparently solved between #7 and the far future of #8. It’s compelling and frustrating in equal parts and begs the question as to whether something else is coming next.
Hickman, for his part, comments directly on dissatisfaction inG.O.D.S.#8.In the issue, Wyn loses the memories of decades he spent being tortured by the In-Betweener. But even once he discovers this past, Wyn admits to being depersonalized from it without his memories. This feels like Hickman’s commentary on what the dystopian final issue does to the whole series. Readers don’t get tofeelthe impact of the events that happened in the interim because they weren’t shown directly. As such, a lot of the weight ofG.O.D.S.rests on the potential for a follow-up or relaunch, hinted at by issue #8’s letters page.
The Unbridled Creativity ofG.O.D.S.is a Beautiful Thing
In the end,G.O.D.S. is a rare thing in mainstream Big Two comics: a wildly ambitious swing that isn’t afraid of being off-putting in its complexity and its very telling. It’s an example of a creative team given the room to explore ideas and characters they find compelling, without the limitations sometimes placed on superhero comics.It’s really not a traditional superhero tale, and it’s all the better for it. Fingers crossed then that the hinted follow-up toG.O.D.S.is truly in the works, and that this team is given the room to continue telling theMarvelstory they want to.
G.O.D.S.#1-8are on sale now from Marvel Comics, with a collected trade releasing on August 6.
