G.O.D.S. by Jonathan Hickman *Spoilers*

[Water Spire]

I think he messed up bringing in the new characters. He needed to put the magic heavyweights in the driver's seat aka Doctor Strange and Doom. Loki and Wanda would also drive sales but I do not think Hickman cares about them.

[Mantis-Ray]

I feel like focusing so much on Wyn was a mistake.

He's too much Doctor Strange/Constantine hybrid, worsened by the fact he was partnered with Strange himself.

So Wyn winds up being too much of a generic protagonist guy despite how high-concept and experimental the book is supposed to be.

[mung]

I agree, Wyn hasn't really endeared himself to me either. Also the science side needs to carry more weight. They have just been getting killed and don't even put up a semblance of a fight. Aiko move now is a getting a magician to do her job for her. Kinda takes away from the opposing sides tug of war when the story is so bias to one side. Everything around the characters is cool, and I want to see more.

[your_name_here]

I don’t want to see this go. Not yet. Hopefully 8 issues isn’t the end, and it makes a return. This has legs but it needs time to cook.

[king of hybrids]

I think that if the sales were abysmal Marvel’s not the kind to leave ambiguity. They’ll have the new characters slaughtered in short order if they don’t intend to use them or let Hickman return to them. So that will be the hint as to whether or not Hickman will be allowed return to it

[Hypestyle]

what characters are supposed to be spun off from this mini-series?

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

what characters are supposed to be spun off from this mini-series?

Are there? I feel like you could use the two factions as a backdrop for another character (ie Ian McKee, Goliath etc) but I'm not sure any would be spinoffs.

[Nomura99]

I don’t want to see this go. Not yet. Hopefully 8 issues isn’t the end, and it makes a return. This has legs but it needs time to cook.

This is were I'm at too. I like the book fine and I'm pretty sure I'd love it if it had time to cook. It still feels like we haven't even started.

[king of hybrids]

what characters are supposed to be spun off from this mini-series?

I think it’s more plots that involve stuff from GODS than spin offs (eg Odin’s children investigating what In-Betweener or just to servants have done with Tyr)

[charliehustle415]

I agree, Wyn hasn't really endeared himself to me either. Also the science side needs to carry more weight. They have just been getting killed and don't even put up a semblance of a fight. Aiko move now is a getting a magician to do her job for her. Kinda takes away from the opposing sides tug of war when the story is so bias to one side. Everything around the characters is cool, and I want to see more.

I am an unabashed Hickman fanboy, and even for me this is a dull read.

It just doesn't have the excitement that HOX/POX or his other Marvel epics had.

This may be a litmus test of how much can Hickman get away with, especially with originally created characters (even though I love his indie books).

[alanyoung909]

I would have thought that Hickman had delivered the goods often enough before that Marvel would have allotted him more issues instead of Yet Another Wolverine adjacent book.

I don't think it's a case of sales or prior work not meeting expectations.

I believe this was always meant to be 8 issues, which is what Brevoort also says in his newsletter.
The selling point of this book is Hickman's concepts + Schiti's artwork. Work on this book started well in advance so that Schiti would be able to do all 8 issues, including the triple-sized first issue.
If this became an ongoing, they would have to bring in fill-in artists to keep the monthly schedule and do tie-ins to events and so on.

They're probably taking a seasonal model approach to this story, which is what I meant earlier by the independent comic thing. The first 8 issues are the 'Season 1', followed by a 'Season 2' next year once Hickman/Schiti can get enough issues in the can. There might be an event later on.

The closest book we've seen like this recently is Strange Academy, which similarly had its identity tied to Young's concepts + Ramos' artwork.

[alanyoung909]

With regards to the issue itself, I’m wondering if TPTB is more of a conceptual medium/internet service provider connecting the material and the mystical forces of the universe for it to be able to arbitrarily put limiters on Mia’s magical growth (presumably the ‘bargaining with higher entities’ part of magic, since she’s got the ‘internal’ and ‘draw from surroundings’ parts)

My working theory is that The-Powers-That-Be is the alternative name of Master Chaos, the Universal Abstract that represents chaos and magic.

masterchaos.jpg

So The-Natural-Order-of-Things is her cosmic counterpart, Lord Order, the Universal Abstract that represents order and science.

lordorder.jpg

Since Chaos and Order are rivals, Mia joining the Centum of The-Natural-Order-of-Things means she is cut off from the higher abilities afforded to servants of The-Powers-That-Be.

[mung]

My working theory is that The-Powers-That-Be is the alternative name of Master Chaos, the Universal Abstract that represents chaos and magic.

masterchaos.jpg

So The-Natural-Order-of-Things is her cosmic counterpart, Lord Order, the Universal Abstract that represents order and science.

lordorder.jpg

Since Chaos and Order are rivals, Mia joining the Centum of The-Natural-Order-of-Things means she is cut off from the higher abilities afforded to servants of The-Powers-That-Be.

This definitely would make the most sense, plus in chapter two when the natural order god takes over Aiko's boss it's a bald guy with a circle in his forehead. That seems to match with the redesign.

[Wolverine12]

I would have thought that Hickman had delivered the goods often enough before that Marvel would have allotted him more issues instead of Yet Another Wolverine adjacent book.

With regards to the issue itself, I’m wondering if spoilers:

TPTB is more of a conceptual medium/internet service provider connecting the material and the mystical forces of the universe for it to be able to arbitrarily put limiters on Mia’s magical growth (presumably the ‘bargaining with higher entities’ part of magic, since she’s got the ‘internal’ and ‘draw from surroundings’ parts)

end of spoilers

Maybe I’m missing something but how is GODS a Wolverine adjacent book?

[king of hybrids]

Maybe I’m missing something but how is GODS a Wolverine adjacent book?

I meant that they’ve just greenlit a Hellverine book

Edit:
Hang on wasn’t it pointed out that NORT and TPTB don’t have a shared avatar/agent like in-betweener the way order and chaos do?