Writer Kyle Higgins and artist Felipe Wantanabe’s Ordinary Gods #1 truly live up to its hype with a spectacular debut issue. What if you found out that you were one of five gods from another realm other than Earth, and that you couldn’t die? Well, you could die, but if you did you’d be reincarnated in an endless cycle of life and death. Such is the case for 22 year-old paint store employee Christopher, a guy who feels weak and depressed when we meet him. That is, until a mysterious stranger pops up with some out-of-this-world claims about him.
Giving us an incredible superhero series like Radiant Black apparently wasn’t enough for Higgins, so here he steps back behind the keyboard and into his imagination to manifest Ordinary Goes. Issue #1 is a violent, majestic voyage that flips back and forth from Earth to a world full of murderous deities that will betray one another in the name of power and glory. The writing is pretty straightforward and lays out all the details on what happened to the gods and then ties that together to the story’s main protagonist, Christopher.
When we meet Christopher, he’s a man who ultimately believes he has no real purpose. Whether those details are true or not is yet to be determined, but the writing does a good job of convincing you that Christopher is correct. He was introduced to his family and his daily routine of family dynamics that include discussions at the dinner table or taking his sister to the book store for new books. It’s all sold incredibly well while switching in between his life to tell you the story of the five gods.
The five gods in the story are The Prodigy, The Trickster, The Luminary, The Brute, and The Innovator. We learn through simple dialogue that somehow they became trapped. What isn’t totally clear is how or by whom, but the book serves up a terrific balance of action, information, and curiosity.
As far as the art is concerned, Felipe Watanabe adds an awesome blend of gritty, realistic detail to every page. Whether it’s a castle in the sky or shoot-out, his action sequences and great visual eye bring out the best in Ordinary Gods #1.
Ordinary Gods #1 is guaranteed to leave you wanting more, so make sure to add this one to your list during your next trip to your local comic shop.
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