What happens when the old gods die? The New Gods #1—from writer Ram V, artists Jorge Fornés and Evan Cagle, colorist Francesco Segala, and letterer Tom Napolitano—feels like something truly special. It feels like myth being written and told in front of our very eyes. It’s a tale of gods and mortals, where that line intersects, and what the consequences of that can be.
The story of the New Gods is a tragic one. Orion, son of Darkseid, was swapped with Mister Miracle, son of Highfather, at birth in order to prevent a war between New Genesis and Apokolips. Where Orion found purpose, Miracle found nothing but violence. Fast forward to now, and the two follow very different paths. Mister Miracle, also known as Scott Free, now has a family. He’s married to Big Barda and has a child named Liv. Orion, however, is the brute. He wages war against anything left from Apokolips, and that war has defined him.
The issue starts with a recap of Darkseid’s actions in the DC All-In Special and then pivots to an old god in space, drifting towards the Source Wall as it draws her in with a beam of light. Metron sees this, and his chair overloads, causing his mind to unravel. We’re then brought to New Genesis, where Highfather meet with Metron and then Lightray, finally calling to summon Orion.
WRITING
The issue is paced beautifully; every scene just clicks into place. Everything is given the time it deserves—never too much or too little. Ram V excels with putting a scene together through dialogue and atmosphere in a way that few can replicate. Everything feels so fluid. Every word carries a weight to it that makes every sentence sound massive and powerful. These are gods, and their words carry a great importance and are not to be taken lightly. That makes it all the more powerful when Orion and Scott meet later in the issue, having clashing values over a task that Highfather has given to Orion.
V crafts a compelling narrative. He introduces key players in their natural habitats, but later diverts from that in order to give us a new interesting story with old characters as well as some new ones. Everyone gets spotlight, and every character feels like they have their own cosmically important role to play. Barda is hardly in the issue, but she’s set up in a remarkable way where you can tell she’ll be incredibly useful soon. V also does a fantastic job of displaying the psyche of each character, highlighting how none of them are without their own personal problems that they must rise up against. It makes them feel eerily human.
ART
While Cagle is the main artist on the issue, Fornés does some inspiring work in the beginning. He draws Metron being overloaded at the beginning of the issue, as well as the dying old god on her way to the source wall. He makes you feel how powerful these beings are, and how they take up a massive amount of space in this universe. Everything could revolve around them, and Fornés does a great job of showcasing how their power is insurmountable and their roles are important.
Cagle draws the bulk of the issue, and he is an absolute powerhouse in his own right. New Genesis is a beautiful place that the artist crafts his own version of masterfully. He makes these characters feel larger than life, whether it be from their battles against alien hordes, or just the sheer fact that they’re conversing with each other with the cosmos in the background.
Cagle also does this fantastic thing when introducing Scott and Orion. When Orion is introduced, Cagle seems to have drawn his name into the background in these giant, hulking letters. When Scott arrives though, we see a circus act style font Mr. Miracle logo, and it’s really clever. Cagle does a good job of making the characters feel different. Scott is slim and agile in order to escape traps when necessary while Orion is massive and angry; so much is done for each character through body language alone.
COLORS
Segala colors one of the most beautiful issues of the entire year here. There’s one scene specifically where Highfather and Metron are discussing something with what looks to be all of space behind them. It’s a beautiful cosmos filled with purples and reds that’s stunning, even connecting to Metron’s black clothing in one panel. It signifies that he’s one with the universe, but his human looking face peering through his costume stops him from being complete. Lightray also looks fantastic here. He’s always been a showboat, but here his classic all-white outfit is accompanied by a glow that radiates off the costume. He wants attention and to be noticed, and Segala understands that perfectly.
The shading and lighting in this issue is also just jaw-dropping. When Orion battles Parademons and is filled with rage, it’s covered with red and oranges the entire time. He then gets a message from Highfather, turning the entire panel blue. When we see Orion’s face again, the red has subsided with the blue now covering half of him. His father and his duty call to him, and he has to understand that that is more important than his rage. It’s incredibly thematic and powerful.
LETTERS
The letters in this one really help in highlighting the differences between each character and their worlds. Napolitano specifically does this through the letters whenever a location is changed. New Genesis gets this beautiful, refined font that reflects a kingdom. The planet Orion is found on has a messy, barbaric one. Scott is in Glendale, California, and that one tries to be about as basic as it can be, and it really fits. There are also a couple of narrative sentences in this issue that take place outside of the story. A character isn’t saying or thinking them, but they’re there to show what’s to come for these characters and this universe. They explain the death of an old god, and the birth of a new one. The words are some of the most important in the entire issue, and Napolitano delivers them with an incredibly strong font and size. Their weight is felt.
CONCLUSION
This is one of the best issues to have come out all year. It’s written, drawn, colored, and lettered beautifully and carefully. It insists that you read it over and over to find new things, but to also ask yourself questions of morality and whether what you’re doing is the right thing or not, even if you’re ordered to do it. The cast have all been living their lives normally, despite being these larger than life gods with responsibilities they have to attend to. We are fully immersed in their world. This spectacular team has made sure that these characters have returned in an impactful way that’s sure to shake the DC Universe in the months to come.
