G.O.D.S. is an epic series that reveals hidden worlds in science and magic. The eight-issue series continues this week with G.O.D.S. #6, taking an almost exclusive look at Aiko Maki who is the Centivar of the Natural-Order-of-Things, and the ex-wife of the main character Wyn. After what she did to Mia, an apprentice of the Natural-Order-of-Things, it’s time to sacrifice to make things right.
G.O.D.S. #6 opens with Aiko waking up in the middle of the night. She seeks out Mia, feels guilty, and soon heads to C.O.V.E.Nant, a magical NGO. It turns out Mia’s true magical abilities were clipped due to Aiko bringing her into the world unnaturally. This issue is all about Aiko trying to make things right and give Mia her true destiny back.
To say this issue is an epic trek or journey is an understatement. Aiko must endure many tests, travel to incredible places, and make hard choices with the aid of a C.O.V.E.Nant agent. Artist Valerio Schiti draws the heck out of this issue, capturing the utter wonderment of strange worlds and even stranger creatures. If the series hadn’t revealed a larger and more incredible Marvel universe, this issue would do it and then some. That includes some familiar cosmic entities that have brand-new looks.
Credit: Marvel
Aiding Schiti is Marte Gracia, who adds an incredible talent in colors. There’s a glint to everything or an unreal quality that sets the art apart from the rest. Lens flairs and well-rendered backdrops add depth to any given panel. It’s visionary stuff.
Similar to the last issue, writer Jonathan Hickman is dabbling in these new worlds rather than fully explaining them. By not showing too much or detailing too many rules, it all ends up feeling far more fantastical and unreal. That adds to the wonderment of it all.
That said, Aiko’s commitment to undo what she did to Mia seems almost random or at least unearned. She expresses disappointment in herself for what she did, but we really haven’t seen her and Mia connect at all, so when she explains she cares for her, you have to take her at her word. It’d be at the expense of revealing such vast worlds, but more setup as far as Mia’s lost gift, or Aiko and Mia’s relationship, would go a long way in making this journey feel like a high stakes situation. Or at least earned.
The lack of information on what or even who the characters are hinders things, too. The agents of C.O.V.E.Nant are well-designed visually, but they aren’t explained. They are shadow people, and thus you have a general idea of their threat level and maybe knowledge, but it’s all a guess. Having so much guesswork can make the narrative feel loose and obtuse, probably on purpose, but it can edge on feeling like an unnecessary lack of explanation.
G.O.D.S. #6 is modern Marvel’s Odyssey, only condensed into a comic book. The brevity of character work shows itself, however, making some of the elements unearned. That said, the wonderment is incredible in this ongoing sci-fi fantasy epic.
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