The-Powers-That-Be and The-Natural-Order-Of-Things are two of the forces that shape the entirety of existence. Now, things are out of balance, and an elder god is ready to engulf reality. Your Major Spoilers review of G.O.D.S. #2 from Marvel Comics awaits!

G.O.D.S. #2

Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Valerio Schiti
Colorist: Marte Gracia
Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: November 8, 2023

Previously in G.O.D.S.: The Centum normally has twenty-five Primes, now only three remain. College isn’t worth the time or the money. There’s a hidden book in the hidden library that hides a hidden door. Kubisk Core is from Georgia, like that matters.

MAGICIANS DON’T HAVE FRIENDS

After last issue’s battle with the renegade mage, Kubisk Core, Doctor Strange and the mysterious Wyn have retired to the Sanctum Sanctorum to regroup and find allies in their new battle. But all of Stephen’s usual colleagues, even his wife Clea, refuse to join them, leaving them (and Wynn’s majordomo) alone to summon Kubisk. As for Aiko, Wyn’s former wife, she and the other surviving primes of the Centum find themselves in recruiting mode, which leads her to Columbia University’s library and a young maybe-mage named Mia. That also gives Aiko the first chance we’ve had in the pages of G.O.D.S. to try and explain, in layman’s terms, what’s actually going on and what the factions represent… sort of. Mia initially refuses the call, but we all know what happens after that, especially when she can’t stop thinking about Aiko’s assertion that she used magic to manipulate her best friend into taking care of her.

A LIBRARY OF WORLDS

After reading the first issue, I was kind of taken aback by the sheer scale of what HIckman, Schiti, and company are building here, and how exactly it works in the established power structures of the Marvel Universe. Some of the existing power players get name-checked in these pages, and Kubisk Core is shown to have a connection to cosmic weirdo, The In-Betweener, which is the kind of thing I feel like the story is going to need. Valerio Schiti’s art is really strong throughout the issue, especially a moment where Doctor Strange has to chide Dmitri the Science Boy for trying to ply his trade in the home of the Sorcerer Supreme. There’s a real sense of menace to the dark corners of the library, which open into something entirely different (and equally visually impressive), while every character has a wide range of facial expressions and movements.

BOTTOM LINE: THIS IS GOOD, BUT IT’S A LOT

As a standalone issue, G.O.D.S. #2 is, in many ways, the traditional first issue, with a new character getting a little bit of a walk-through that also educates the readers about the balance of science and magic, the role of the Centum, and even what the title is about, with really good art pulling together for 3.5 out of 5 stars overall. It’s a story that I feel will definitely read better in the collection, which is likely how I’ll be keeping up with it from now on, as this issue’s combination of revelation and coy mystery left me feeling overwhelmed.

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G.O.D.S. #2

70%

70%

A Little Overwhelming

As with last issue, I feel like I'd love this if it weren't set in the Marvel Universe. The art is beautiful, but by the end of 32 pages, I was a little bit exhausted.

• Writing

  6
• Art

  9
• Coloring

  6
• User Ratings (0 Votes)
  0