Wednesday 31 December 2014

So I Read God Is Dead

A 250 word (or less) review of God Is Dead Vol. 1
by Jonathan Hickman, Mike Costa, Di Amorim; Avatar Press


From the Messianic parallels in the Superman myth to the literal mythological figures like Thor and Wonder Woman, cape comics seem deeply interested in exploring the divine nature of superheroes. The provocatively named God Is Dead is Jonathan Hickman, Mick Costa, Di Amorim, and companies foray into a gritty exploration of superpowered gods. God Is Dead portrays the return of gods from various ancient civilizations  to Earth. These returned gods attract followers and launch an age of holy wars. These wars spread to the pantheons and the gods themselves war for supremacy. Meanwhile a team of underground scientists launch a quest to save humanity from their horrible deities. God Is Dead is not a particularly good comic. There are just so many comics exploring divinity, and God Is Dead doesn't really say anything that hasn't already been covered better in another comic. Even worse, the art is horrible. Di Amorim’s figure work, anatomy, and acting are inconsistent, and his storytelling is choppy and uninteresting. God Is Dead is very much a predictable story told with subpar art. As such, it’s not a comic I can really recommend. But if you’re interested in godly superhero comics, Hickman and Bodenheim’s A Red Mass For Mars is a much more interesting examination of the theme and Supergod by Ellis and Gastony (also from Avatar) covers almost the same territory as God Is Dead with more chutzpah and better art. Read those, not God Is Dead.


Word count: 242

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