This is the first time in nearly 30 years that a New God has been the title character of an ongoing DC Comics book, but not in my lifetime. Even in the 21st century, they’ve been mostly relegated to tentpole comics and titles for other characters since Jim Starlin’s 2008’s The Death of the New Gods. It is significant that Ram V and Evan Cagle were given this particular title.
The legacy of predecessors who made New Gods a mainstay of the comics industry includes Grant Morrison, Mike Mignola, Gerry Conway, the aforementioned Jim Starlin, and of course Jack “The King” Kirby. . Fair or not, V and Cagle will find their work measured on scales and their distance traveled on hallowed ground.
DC’s All-In initiative established the context for this effort. Darkseid is dead, and V will hold the reader’s hand as they begin to discover what the Fourth World is like without the Archdemon in the sky. This premise is a gift, and would have been an initially appealing question for anyone, but it’s V’s choice how to develop it, creeping into readers’ minds and suffering a long wait for publication. It will grab the attention of your readers. #2.
While much of Kirby’s original character creation work stems from an interest in Norse mythology, fused with Judeo-Christian and sometimes Greek mythology concepts, V draws inspiration from his “reading of Hindu mythology.” He says he is doing so. This is clear from the first page of New Gods #1, with V subtly introducing the concept of reincarnation. He speaks of God’s death, but where the reader would expect a word that confirms God’s end, he uses a word synonymous with beginning. “She made her end bloom.” He further characterizes this approach as characteristic of the gods, who “often make foolish mistakes, not because they are perfect, but because they are powerful.” That’s why.”
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Readers will be excited to pick up this book and discover that Lamb’s influence on it is highly contextual in every way. I’m not sure if I’m ready to say that this book is completely unpredictable, but certainly things that may not have happened in this world before may happen in this book. I feel like that.
There is a scale here that spans the question of the very nature of reality and the intimacy of the new parent-child relationship. Specifically, this prose simultaneously attempts the philosophical grandeur of divinity and the banality of a faceless working-class alien that the reader will never encounter again. As a reader, you are watching a tightrope act, which holds your attention throughout the performance and leaves you mesmerized once it is complete. Very good.
In this context, Lamb returns to what has become a pattern of his work at DC, his choice to reimagine heroes as different, less pleasant, and unpredictable. This is where the fusion of artists and art truly shines. Highfather in particular encapsulates how Ram makes these gods feel like they’re more than just heroes. The stakes are even higher. Morality is different. The end result is almost certain.
Readers will note that V has only worked with a handful of these characters so far, especially none of the Fourth World Apokoliptian cast. Given that the series is rethinking morality and casting characters in shades of gray rather than black and white, some may wonder how this will affect the series’ portrayal of its more villainous characters. I don’t know.
This is to say nothing of The Forever People, which forces a tonal shift in the book and potentially tests how far V can really stretch. Fortunately, there doesn’t seem to be much continuity from the tone of Tom King and Mitch Gerrad’s Mister Miracle. This work is the latest work of the Fourth World and has recently gained popularity.
Cagle is well suited for its variety and should in any case give the reader some confidence. His style and choices present the story with the hyper-reality befitting New Gods, giving him the flexibility to work with perhaps most of Kirby’s main cast.
That being said, the style of hyperreality that Cagle creates is very different from the style that King creates. If readers are expecting something that looks and feels distinctly like Kirby, that’s to be expected, but it doesn’t necessarily turn out that way. The balance that Cagle manages to strike between complex backgrounds, classic designs, dramatic emotion, and immersion of brand new influences into the world of New Gods is the same balance that this artist has been creating for years in his monthly comics. That’s pretty impressive.
And he’s just barely scratched the surface of the rich world they can play in.
This provides an opportunity to rethink the book and its characters. Kirby’s influence and New Gods in general have become so fused with DC’s “house style” over the years that many readers may not know what a completely different New Gods comic would be like to read. However, readers can have new eyes to see these characters because Cagle chooses to draw them differently, and in some cases, a little bolder. There’s an excitement and punch to this world that hasn’t existed in a long time.
What you should see about Cagle’s work is the same thing you should see about Ram’s work. Will the marriage of the new and the old work out over time?
I have high hopes for that, but either way, I’m already feeling the excitement of seeing Lamb and Cagle walk the tightrope again in the next issue. I want to see all the tricks they pull off and the way they pull all these big swings and defy the threatening gravity. Even as I write this, I keep coming back to this problem, finding new small questions and new things to look forward to. In this way, Lamb and Cagle have created the type of comic book experience that I love. It’s like a reminder of why comics were my first love.
“The New Gods” #1 deserves “The King”
new gods #1
I can’t wait to see Lamb and Cagle walk the tightrope again in the next issue, and I’m already feeling excited. I want to see all the tricks they pull off and the way they pull all these big swings and defy the threatening gravity. Even as I write this, I keep coming back to this problem, finding new small questions and new things to look forward to. In this way, Lamb and Cagle have created the type of comic book experience that I love. It’s like a reminder of why comics were my first love.
V and Cagle take on a story with a great scope
The perfect combination of creator and property
Unlike what we’ve seen from these characters
Art transports readers to surrealism
