GODS #1 Review

Written by: Jonathan Hickman
Art by: Valerio Schiti
Colors by: Marte Gracia
Letters by: VC’s Travis Lanham
Cover art by: Mateus Manhanini
Cover price: $9.99
Release date: September 6, 2023

GODS #1 brings the Powers-That-Be and the Natural-Order-Of-Things together to stop a Babylon event from rewriting the universe. What nobody realizes is that none of it matters anyway.

Is GODS #1 Good?

GODS #1 marks Jonathan Hickman’s return to Marvel for an ongoing passion project that sets the magical corner of Marvel on its ear. Overflowing with magical battles, eclectic characters, and a fair bit of charm, this just might be the fantasy comic Marvel has been lacking. Technically, it would be if this first issue wasn’t 22 pages too long.

Hickman’s script centers on Wyn, the 1,000-year-old Avatar of the Powers-That-Be who solves magical problems and dispatches magical threats that come to the Powers-That-Be’s attention. Along with Dimitri, Wyn’s chained apprentice representing the Natural-Order-Of-Things, we get to know Wyn as he deports accidentally summoned Chaos Daemons, stops Babylon Events in progress (yes, Babylon Events are bad things), and navigates a complicated love life with his wife-not-wife, Aiko (it’s complicated).

On the whole, GODS #1 is a mildly entertaining issue designed to get readers firmly connected to Wyn, his world, his worldview, and the manner in which he deals with problems. I say it’s “mildly” entertaining because Wyn is the type of overpowered character who knows how to shut down a party by flicking just the right light switch. You may come to respect Wynn’s knowledge and power, but his cavalier, “this universe-ending event was never a problem” approach kills any dramatic tension. If GODS ended right here as an oversized one-shot, I’d be fine with it because I know everything I need to know about Wyn as a slightly different take on Doctor Strange.

What’s great about GODS #1? First, compliments to Schiti and Gracia’s art. The character designs are memorable, the magical action is imaginative, and Schiti’s eye for dramatic panel composition is superb.

Second, despite the tepid reaction, Wyn is an engaging alternative to Doctor Strange. Hickman saturates Wyn with an easy charm and gobs of personality. That charm overplays itself sometimes in an “I’m too cool to be here” attitude on occasion, but he works well enough.

Last, Hickman excels at making the magic side of Marvel feel bigger and chock full of areas to explore. If Marvel was looking for a shakeup in its lineup, this is a good start.

What’s not so great about GODS #1? It’s too long by a lot. Almost the entire first third is devoted to understanding the relationship between Wyn and his wife-not-wife Aiko. If this oversized issue had been broken into standard floppy sizes where the first third focused on their relationship, I doubt this series would have continued very far. Wyn’s relationship with Aiko is not that interesting, doesn’t need as many pages to tell, slows down the pace of the book to a crawl, and adds nothing to the main conflict concerning a Babylon Event.

Further, there’s at least one conversation played out twice, in full. When retailers are begging for relief with oversized, overpriced comics, I can’t imagine why Marvel would let this comic go out with so much superfluous fluff.

Regardless of the page count and scene repetition, the bigger problem with this first issue is Wyn. He’s engaging, sure, but you can’t help feeling like he’s a Doctor Strange knockoff. There’s even a point where Strange and Wynn cross paths during a behind-the-scenes mission where the parallels practically slap you in the face. It’s fine to build out Marvel’s magical side, but not when you keep thinking, “Isn’t Doctor Strange doing the same thing?”

Finally, the greatest problem is Hickman’s lack of differentiation between Wyn and Doctor Strange. Swap out Dimitri for Wong, swap out Aiko for Clea, and swap out the Powers-That-Be with the Vishanti, and you’ve got a Doctor Strange comic in disguise.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Bits and Pieces

GODS #1 is a mildly entertaining, beautifully rendered magical adventure that expands the mystical side of the Marvel universe with a charismatic lead in Wyn. Unfortunately, the issue is too long, doesn’t deliver enough meat for the cover price, and effectively turns Wyn into a Doctor Strange clone. GODS #1 is a fine one-shot, but Hickman didn’t do enough to get Wyn to stand out or apart.