One of the most surprising tie-ins for the One World Under Doom event has to be G.O.D.S.: One World Under Doom #1. Jonathan Hickman and Valerio Schiti’s compelling but short-lived G.O.D.S. gets a chance to shine with Wyn and his apprentice Mia in the throes of saving the world. The only hope for the entire solar system? Doctor Doom!
As a big fan of G.O.D.S., it’s nice to know Wyn and this corner of Marvel isn’t forgotten, though the way this is written, one can guess the creators think most folks forgot about it, or never read it at all. That’s due to writer Ryan North having to do a lot of heavy lifting by explaining concepts like The-Powers-That-Be, The-Natural-Order-of-Things, and Mia’s complex relationship to both orders and Wyn. The dialogue can be quite heavy at times, doing more to catch the reader up than to get the adventure going.
That isn’t to say North’s character writing isn’t entertaining, with Wyn being a flippant and casual type, all things considered, given his robust responsibilities. Seeing how he plays off Doom is entertaining, and his general vibe is entertaining.
Time for a team-up!
Credit: Marvel
More importantly, North develops Wyn and Mia’s relationship by showing what a good teacher can be like in the form of Doctor Doom. By using Doom in this way, we get real progress for Mia and Wyn, as well as a nice reminder that Doom isn’t pure evil. He’s a villain, sure, but game respects game.
Once the adventure does get going, the science and stakes are well established. It takes about nine pages to get the characters into danger, which feels like a long time. Their mission takes them to the center of the sun, and while the explanation for why and the danger they’re in is interesting, it doesn’t help that there’s so much explanation in all the scenes leading up to actually getting to the sun.
Artist Francesco Mortarino and color artist Raúl Angulo keep things interesting enough, with characters acting well if not great in most parts. Doctor Doom looks good, and the scale of the sun is on full display. Generally, the colors match scenes well, like the green of Doom taking over inside the sun, or a warm purple conveying Mia’s hopefulness.
In some ways, this one-shot ends up feeling like a refresher on Wyn and Mia more than anything else. G.O.D.S. lasted only eight issues, and the final few pages ask a lot of the reader to care about such new and underused characters. It makes me wonder how impactful this issue is, especially since it seems Marvel wants the characters to work together but won’t give them their series to do so.
G.O.D.S.: One World Under Doom #1 is a thoughtful and character-driven one-shot that rekindles interest in Wyn and Mia, but its exposition-heavy approach and limited narrative payoff may frustrate anyone hoping for more than just a refresher on forgotten cosmic players.
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