mimesatwork's review against another edition
1.0
This is painfully bad. On all levels. Nope. Just nope nope nope nope.
philipf's review against another edition
1.0
I really did not like this. There are several minor things that make me wonder if the creators did any research: a Chinese dragon being drawn as a European dragon, Thor and Loki being brothers (which is an invention of Stan Lee). Most of all, it seems like the writers just don't actually understand the functions of mythology. It feels like they haven't read any actual myths, but instead are working from depictions of gods from superhero comics.
spiringempress's review against another edition
1.0
Wow. This was absolutely horrendous on multiple levels. Just to be clear, I have never read anything else by Jonathan Hickman, but I am hoping that his other titles are better. This graphic novel starts when four groups of gods, but only four regions/culture, appear on earth again. We are also introduced to a group of human scientists, who are attempting to stop this divine takeover. *spoilers* These individuals are able to do so by injecting themselves with divine blood and effectively become gods themselves.
First off, the art style lacks imagination. It strongly reminds me of the comics that my dad used to find at the PX, a retail store on an army base, on free comic book day; the style is basic and overly drawn. Beyond that, I am insulted by the representations of Quetzalcoatl, Huitzilopochtli and Tezcatlipoca. Just a little background, I have studied aztec codexes, as well as, Latin American representations of gods, and these are pitiful in comparison. The gods are literally animal heads slapped onto human bodies whereas the real pictorial depictions are colorful, extravagant and rich in detail; they are normally very rectilinear, defy a realistic anatomically correct portrayal and generally, are way more badass than Di Amorim's renderings.
Same goes for the Hindu gods, I recently finished Sita' Ramayana, where the artist, Moyna Chitrakar, reworked traditional scroll style to imbue the work with an authenticity and dynamism. It is entirely different than any art style seen in American titles and really conveyed a feeling of the culture and their gods. However, the portrayal of these gods was lazy and doesn't even attempt to capture how these powerful deities were seen by their respective cultures. If you're going to choose gods from underrepresented cultures, this is an opportunity to showcase the unique styles that are foreign to our eyes and not blatantly butcher them into weird Marvel looking characters.
However, the art style was not the only issue, but the story was also lacking. In the course of the first volume, we are introduced to the four core god groups, their human counterparts, a plan to take over the earth, a plot to stop the gods, an epic battle between the gods and then a confrontation between the two warring groups. What could have been a story that lasted for several volumes instead was completely slapdash; there was no pacing, no sense of risk, or even a chance to become acquainted with the characters. I mean, what was up with Gaby's x crop top??? Overall, the story moved too quickly, barely focused on actions that should have taken up a whole volume, made it seem too easy and the story ended as soon as it started. I read the final page and thought "okay so?? what happens next that there are more volumes? also, why do I care about this random human, who became an awful looking red satyr with boobs??"
I'll probably read the next volume mostly out of curiosity and also because I love torturing myself.
First off, the art style lacks imagination. It strongly reminds me of the comics that my dad used to find at the PX, a retail store on an army base, on free comic book day; the style is basic and overly drawn. Beyond that, I am insulted by the representations of Quetzalcoatl, Huitzilopochtli and Tezcatlipoca. Just a little background, I have studied aztec codexes, as well as, Latin American representations of gods, and these are pitiful in comparison. The gods are literally animal heads slapped onto human bodies whereas the real pictorial depictions are colorful, extravagant and rich in detail; they are normally very rectilinear, defy a realistic anatomically correct portrayal and generally, are way more badass than Di Amorim's renderings.
Same goes for the Hindu gods, I recently finished Sita' Ramayana, where the artist, Moyna Chitrakar, reworked traditional scroll style to imbue the work with an authenticity and dynamism. It is entirely different than any art style seen in American titles and really conveyed a feeling of the culture and their gods. However, the portrayal of these gods was lazy and doesn't even attempt to capture how these powerful deities were seen by their respective cultures. If you're going to choose gods from underrepresented cultures, this is an opportunity to showcase the unique styles that are foreign to our eyes and not blatantly butcher them into weird Marvel looking characters.
However, the art style was not the only issue, but the story was also lacking. In the course of the first volume, we are introduced to the four core god groups, their human counterparts, a plan to take over the earth, a plot to stop the gods, an epic battle between the gods and then a confrontation between the two warring groups. What could have been a story that lasted for several volumes instead was completely slapdash; there was no pacing, no sense of risk, or even a chance to become acquainted with the characters. I mean, what was up with Gaby's x crop top??? Overall, the story moved too quickly, barely focused on actions that should have taken up a whole volume, made it seem too easy and the story ended as soon as it started. I read the final page and thought "okay so?? what happens next that there are more volumes? also, why do I care about this random human, who became an awful looking red satyr with boobs??"
I'll probably read the next volume mostly out of curiosity and also because I love torturing myself.
theartolater's review against another edition
5.0
Being fully and unabashedly a part of the Cult of Hickman, picking up God is Dead was a no-brainer for me. What I got, however, was entirely different than I expected in the best possible ways. Old gods and demons fighting each other while the world just sort of has to watch? Sign me up.
It's fun and pulpy, and the art is more traditional than a lot of other Hickman endeavors. I'm really a fan of everything about this, and, while I don't know how long the gimmick can truly last, I'm very excited about what's coming next. Definitely a recommendation.
It's fun and pulpy, and the art is more traditional than a lot of other Hickman endeavors. I'm really a fan of everything about this, and, while I don't know how long the gimmick can truly last, I'm very excited about what's coming next. Definitely a recommendation.
witchy_woo_13's review against another edition
5.0
I was pleasantly surprised by this one. The illustrations were decent and so was the story. I enjoy narratives that bring back the old Gods. I look forward to the rest of the saga.
brandt's review against another edition
3.0
Honestly . . . this is more of a 2.6 - 2.8. I really like the concept of this comic series, but was a little disappointed in the execution. Each Pantheon only had 3 gods. And they died too easily. There wasn't a lot of build up either. They just arrived and then they pretty much conquered the world in an instant. So I wish they let it build more slowly.
adoubledareaway's review against another edition
1.0
Oh how disappointed i am that i didn't love this! I was hoping, after loving Hickman's "East of West" as much as i do, that i would love this too, but i didn't. Nothing about this hooked me. I wasn't invested in the characters or the story. It felt like it was leaving things vague just for the hell of it, instead of to further the plot. It just wasn't a good fit for me and i won't be continuing on.
beyadob's review against another edition
2.0
The premise and setup was interesting, but the execution flat-out sucked. There's no depth to the characters, gods die left and right, and truth be told, there's no one to rally behind.
beyadob's review against another edition
3.0
Much, much better than volume one. There's some depth to it this time around, but I felt the overload of gods and human characters was a bit too much to handle. Maybe they should focus on fewer characters.
jeffreyp's review against another edition
4.0
It's refreshing to read comics that aren't obvious screenplays for movies (though I like those too)--I'm confident this would never get made into a film, and that's just fine. A nice look at how theism might work if all the gods (or, many of them) actually existed and came back to earth. This book is a nice excuse to see Odin battling Zeus, and though it seems odd to me that Gaia is one of the "new" gods, the ending of this arc is still satisfying.
Aside from all that, this is a nice little treatise, in comic form, on theology and atheism. Gods coming back to earth seems like the logical endpoint of fundamentalism, and this is a fun exploration of ideas, while still getting to see Gaia kick Zeus' ass.
Aside from all that, this is a nice little treatise, in comic form, on theology and atheism. Gods coming back to earth seems like the logical endpoint of fundamentalism, and this is a fun exploration of ideas, while still getting to see Gaia kick Zeus' ass.