G.O.D.S. continues to be thought-provoking, epic in scale, and on a course to help recontextualize cosmic Marvel. It’s an exciting read, albeit confusing and sometimes too hellbent on creating terms for things that probably could be explained simply. But, if simpler is something you’re after, you may just like G.O.D.S. #5. It’s a bottle episode with a self-contained story and a bit of reprieve from the larger world building.
G.O.D.S. #5 focuses on a mysterious woman we meet early on. She reads a book to children, but soon we see the book is probably not for kids at all as we see witches fall in love with a man, then eat him. We then see she goes to a place that looks like a hospital, dressed in what looks like nurses clothes and proceeds to administer a test to a man. Looks can be deceiving, and soon we see this test is all a bit of witchcraft at the expense of human male life so as to figure something out. This is a clever idea mixing horror and sci-fi for a satisfying reveal of a bit of the supernatural that’s happening underneath our noses.
We then cut to Mia and Wyn, and we get a bit of a catch-up on where Mia lives and her abilities. She’s an apprentice to The-Natural-Order-of-Things and seems to have picked up some clever skills, some of which Wyn comments on as being signs she needs therapy. Off they go from Mia’s apartment to the very hospital that was in the opening scene. It’s a nice setup as we anticipate danger for Mia and greatly look forward to any secrets revealed. This series has shown the incredible vastness of the supernatural, magical, and scientific, so it’s neat to see it right underneath the surface.
Not a great story to tell children, eh?
Credit: Marvel
If you’re looking for plot progression for the larger story, there is a nugget to hang your hat on by the end. I will say it’s a bit surprising we don’t even get a reference to the last cliffhanger, but this story is self-contained enough to feel like a nice aside. The general pace is good, too, and that’s aided by dialogue that’s never too verbose as it has been in previous issues.
The art continues to be spectacular. Valerio Schiti has great skill in drawing highly inventive and disturbing nightmare creatures. Marte Gracia colors this book to perfection as well with great streaks of light, glowing eyes, and cool effects. Lens flair is used here and there, which adds a magical feel to ordinary outdoor scenes.
A standout in the visuals is the fairy tale read by the main witch woman, which is drawn in a style that conveys it was painted on a bit of paper. It gives it an aged look, as if we’re seeing true stories from the past.
It’s a shame G.O.D.S. is only listed as having eight issues, because self-contained stories like this one prove Hickman and Schiti have a great concept on their hands that could flourish with a hundred issues or more. The concept of roaming wizards and science experts uncovering dark truths that lay behind the facade of reality is excellent, as revealed in this issue.
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