The New Gods #1 Review: Shaking the Heavens of the DC Universe

Trying to follow Jack Kirby’s work on the Fourth World is an unenviable task for any comics creator. While there have been a couple of success stories in that regard, many more creators have only dashed themselves against the Source Wall in their attempt to harness Kirby’s signature creative crackle. However, Ram V is a writer with experience shaping stories around gods and legends — Rare Flavours, These Savage Shores, and The Many Deaths of Laila Starr all speak to his ability to human meaning beings that are larger than life or of a monstrous nature. This is why those familiar with V’s work who might otherwise feel trepidatious met the news of his reteaming with Evan Cagle and Francesco Segala, his artistic collaborators on Dawnrunner, with anticipation (and it only took the first preview pages of Cagle and Segala’s artwork to get most everyone else to the same place). Of course, high expectations come with a tyranny of all their own, but one that the fine craft and thematic richness of The New Gods #1 quickly overthrow.

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The New Gods is a somewhat loaded title in this iteration. All that is new eventually becomes old; this is the fate facing the gods of New Genesis and Apokolips. Darkseid’s death has thrown off the cosmic balance of good and evil in the DC Universe, and a moral dualism abhors a vacuum as much as anything. A newer god is about to emerge, potentially relegating the New Gods to the same fate as those old gods that preceded them, leaving Highfather and his kin — adopted and otherwise — to act.

Credit: dc

The New Gods #1 is upfront about the scale of its story, beginning with the prologue telling of the death of a god named Amaxazu, illustrated beautifully in four pages by guest artist Jorge Fornés, who plays lightly with the form by having the gutter shatter as the god is incinerated, the message being that we are playing at the edge of creation and the very form that this fictional universe has taken is at stake. With Cagle taking the reigns, the rest of the issue has an energetic and modern grandeur. New Genesis looks billowy and heavenly, as if the entire planet is on top of a mountain, basking in the clouds, and similar formal playfulness follows in instances such as Orion’s name taking on an almost tangible presence within a panel of his introduction.

[RELATED: Ram V’s All In New Gods are Epic, Relatable, and Incredibly Messy]

While the epic, mythological nature of the story is quickly established, an emotional core emerges as well. Highfather has a task, a foul deed not meant for the pure gods born of New Genesis, like ever-loyal Lightray. Instead, it falls to Orion, adopted by Highfather but born to Darkseid. That Highfather trusts Orion to do this task unquestioningly says something subtly damning about their relationship. Orion quickly turns to Mister Miracle, Highfather’s trueborn son, for aid, which says something subtly powerful about how the person he wishes he was is vastly different from the person Highfather sees him as, and thus must be.

Credit: DC

If The New Gods #1 contains a flaw, it’s that it moves too fast. The weight of the story at hand feels like it deserves to be pondered over, and more time should be spent on the conversations between these characters, the decisions being made, the eons of history being drawn upon. Perhaps it’s a side effect of the prolonged intro, but despite this, there’s still a vast thematic density to draw upon. It’s a generational story, with Highfather casting his sons against and alongside one another, in a conflict that resonates on multiple levels as the DC cosmology seems prepared to move on to its next generation. Morality, family bonds, and eschatology are all stirred into the mix of The New Gods, with a modern flavoring that brings to mind another great Kirby revisit in recent years, Kieron Gillen and Esad Ribic’s work on Eternals.

The New Gods #1 delivers a godly debut, bringing a gorgeous look and fresh ideas to Kirby’s timeless mythology. Ram V and Evan Cagle seem poised to shake DC’s heavens, and readers will be eager to see what falls from the skies.

Published by DC

On December 18, 2024

Written by Ram V

Art by Evan Cagle 

Colors by: Francesco Segala

Letters by: Tom Napolitano