THIS WEEK: The Fourth World returns in Ram V and Evan Cagle’s The New Gods #1.

Note: the review below contains spoilers. If you want a quick, spoiler-free buy/pass recommendation on the comics in question, check out the bottom of the article for our final verdict.


The New Gods #1

Writer: Ram V
Artist: Evan Cagle
Guest Artist, Pgs 1-4: Jorge Fornés
Colorist: Francesco Segala
Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Cover Artist: Nimit Malavia

This week sees DC releasing a pair of debut issues for series based on characters created by Jack Kirby, and they’re properties that couldn’t be more different. The Challengers of the Unknown are a group of non-powered humans, adventurers who believe they live on borrowed time after surviving a plane crash. At the far other end of the galaxy is The New Gods, the centerpiece of Kirby’s sprawling Fourth World saga, a sci-fi space opera about hyperpowered aliens who embody the very concepts of good and evil. Many have attempted to follow in The King’s footsteps with their own take on the denizens of New Genesis and Apokolips, and this current foray into the outer reaches of the DC Universe comes from writer Ram V and artist Evan Cagle, a team that wastes no time in presenting a vision of the Fourth World that harkens back to Kirby’s original work while forging a new path forward.

The tone of The New Gods #1 is, from the start, one of sheer spectacle. V’s scripting feels grandiose and almost mythic, and guest artist Jorge Fornés’s visuals reinforce that, ancient beings floating at the very outer limits of the universe, panel borders disintegrating in the presence of the Source Wall. Cagle’s first page, an edge-to-edge illustration of Metron receiving a translated prophecy from The Source, further drives home the boundlessness of the storytelling – the stakes of this tale won’t be constricted by the conventional language of comics.

From those opening pages, the focus of the issue gradually narrows, to Highfather and Lightray on New Genesis, then to Orion on another distant alien moon, and finally to Scott Free and Barda on Earth. Even Kirby’s New Gods was grounded on Earth, after all, and V and Cagle highlight the human qualities of these gods in a way that’s warm and relatable. Focusing in on Scott and Barda, easily the most human of these gods and the stars of Tom King and Mitch Gerads’s smash Mister Miracle series, also goes a long way toward making this debut issue accessible to readers.

But make no mistake: these are gods, and Cagle presents them as such. Cagle’s work is hyper-stylized, his characters uniquely physical and highly emotive. Lightray is lithe and beautiful, Highfather regal, proud, and more than a little tired, Metron spindly and particularly otherworldly. Most striking is Cagle’s take on Orion, a massive figure who moves with utter ferocity in battle, yet has a surprising softness during a scene with Scott on Earth. The action as Orion dispatches a group of errant parademons feels highly manga-inspired, and you can feel the force of his blows and the intensity of his rage emanate from the page. Colorist Francesco Segala’s work enhances Cagle’s linework nicely, conveying the majesty of New Genesis, the fire of battle for Orion, and the warmth of Scott’s life on Earth. This book is a visual feast.

Perhaps most impressive about this debut is how accessible it is to readers who might not be familiar with the Fourth World. The series uses the events of the DC All In one-shot as a launching point, as the characters respond to Darkseid’s apparent death in the pages of that book, and it’s easy to see how more closely tying the series to what’s happening in the mainline DC Universe might help bring in readers who are following the overall All In storyline. That said, the issue also pretty clearly stakes out its own corner of the universe. At this point it’s hard to imagine Batman popping up in this book, which is frankly a refreshing thought.

The New Gods #1 is a spectacular debut issue from a creative team with a clear and unique vision of these characters and their world. There’s so much going on here that it feels impossible to predict where the series will go next, but it’s safe to say that, in this team’s hands, it’s going to be an incredible journey.

Final Verdict: BUY.


Round-Up

  • As for the other Kirby property returning today, Christopher Cantwell, Sean Izaakse, Romulo Fajardo Jr., and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou present a Challengers of the Unknown #1 that’s a key part of the All In storyline, and that takes the Challengers in an exciting direction, exploring how these non-powered humans fit in among the superpowered heroes of the Justice League. It’s funny, it’s heavy, and it’s a strong setup for what’s to come.
  • Cantwell’s other DC book this week is Plastic Man No More! #4, the conclusion of the Black Label series with Alex Lins, Jacob Edgar, Marcelo Maiolo, and Becca Carey. This book was a pleasure from beginning to end, highlighting the dichotomy of Plastic Man and telling a heartfelt story about a father’s love for his son. The ending feels inevitable without being predictable, which goes to the strength of these creators’ skills. What a great book from start to finish.
  • And at the other end of the DCU there’s the Green Lantern/Green Arrow: World’s Finest Special #1, a throwback one-shot from the characters’ iconic hard-travellin’ heroes era in which Deathstroke hunts Hal and Ollie in the first story, then guest-star Barry “The Flash” Allen in the second. I’m not sure if you could say there’s much point to this book, as in the end an editor’s note say it’s all set-up for…New Teen Titans #2 from 1980. That said, writer Jeremy Adams, artists Lucas Meyer and Travis Mercer, colorists Marcelo Maiolo and Andrew Dalhouse, and letterer Lucas Gattoni deliver a highly-entertaining diversion, and anything that distracts from reality for a few minutes is never pointless.

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