Free Imagine Blogs

Am I the only one who's really enjoying Death of the New Gods? I'm finding it to be an incredibly fun mystery/superhero tale. There's all sorts to like about. Foremost among them the fact that the New Gods are dying.

Now, I've said before that I like the fact that the New Gods are getting axed. That remains as true today as it did in days of yore. But Death of the New Gods is so much more than just gods being killed left and right. As I said, it's a grand mystery.

The mystery isn't just who's killing the New Gods (though Superman seems to believe he knows). It's also about the why and the how. Why has this killer been gifted with powers beyond what he normally possesses? And why is he using them the way he is? Those are the big mysteries.

And there's not just mystery... There's also suspense. When I was reading issue #4 I kept holding my breath, waiting to see who was going to be offed on the next page. Usually I don't feel that way reading comics. Either because the deaths seem so shallow -- or because nobody dies at all.

But for some reason Starlin has created a story where each death -- even if it's of an insignificant character that nobody knows -- feels important. And that's quite an accomplishment.

So I look forward to seeing this series continue. Seeing the Gods drop left and right as Superman -- the story's resident Sherlock Holmes (with x-ray vision!) tries to ferret out the answers.

The game is afoot.

A while back I delved into etymology and looked at the significance of Forerunner as a "Harbinger."

We've seen a lot of Forerunner since then. And it's still not clear what her role in the greater scheme of things is. Since her appearance she's traveled the multiverse, had her world destroyed, and been left adrift in space by Monarch.

But I'm not here to talk about Forerunner. Another Harbinger has appeared. Behold, the preview for Countdown #19:

The speaker is undoubtedly the Godkiller -- slayer of the Fourth World. Here, he (or she) self identifies as a "Harbinger."

I doubt this is an accident. Nothing happening in Countdown is an accident. We can only assume that we are meant to see the Godkiller as another Harbinger.

Which means we've got two -- Forerunner and the Godkiller. And seeing as we're building to a Final Crisis, I wouldn't be surprised if a few more showed up down the line...

Well, I've been suffering from quite a cold these past few days. Of course, it's nothing that a weekend locked in a subterranean chamber bombarded by magnetic rays can't cure. Or so my doctor tells me.

Anyway, I'd like to talk about Death of the New Gods. I know that some people are touchy about the subject of a certain character's death. Without naming names, let me just say this: I'm glad he/she is dead. This may shock you. Yes, I liked the character. Heck, I liked the character a lot. But what I do not like are the New Gods.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: they don't fit in the greater DC Universe. They're too weird and wacky and I really, really want to see them all die. Call me bloodthirsty, but I wasn't pleased with the afore mentioned character's death because of the death. I was pleased because it is merely a prelude to the greater slaughter to come.

But I guess that means I am a little bloodthirsty after all. But the New Gods do something the the DC Universe. It's hard for me to articulate it, but I'll give it a try. To me, the New Gods seem to cheapen the DC Universe just a little bit. I know that doesn't make sense -- many people think the Fourth World enriches the DCU. I just don't happen to be one of them.

The New Gods are over the top and overpowered. They are supposed to be gods. And honestly, I'm not sure how keen I am about gods walking around the DCU. If gods really do walk around the DCU, then the things they do and say are automatically more important than the things that any other characters do and say. They're frickin' gods.

And I don't want that. I want Wonder Woman and Superman and Batman to be the most important characters in the DCU. I want it to be clear to everyone that the greatest evil doesn't have to be a distant, rocky-faced deity. It can be as simple as a bald man in a suit. Or a clown with a rictus grin.

But as long as the New Gods still run around in their garish costumes these things cannot come to pass. As long as these so-called deities hold court the real players of the DC Universe will be pushed the sidelines whenever the "gods" appear.

So kill 'em all, I say. Off with their heads.

I may annoy some people with what I'm about to say, but I'm going to say it anyway: I think it's time for the New Gods to die. And to stay dead.

I know that some of the New Gods -- Mister Miracle and Big Barda specifically -- are quite popular. But let's be honest... The New Gods have never really fit in that well in the DCU. To me, their presence has always seemed a little off. They're a little too Kirby for the DCU.

Now don't get me wrong; some of the things that Kirby introduced to the DCU are great (Kamandi, OMAC, the Source Wall). And the New Gods are great, too. But they just don't feel to me like they belong in the DCU. The saga of the New Gods has always felt too big and too epic. Their being shoehorned into the DCU kind of brings that down. So it's time for them to die.

Killing the New Gods is certainly controversial. But I think that DC has made the right decision in doing so. And from what little I've read by Jim Starlin, they've also chosen the right man for the job. He'll give the death of gods the epic feel it warrants. And when the last New God falls... Well, the DCU will be changed forever.

Unless they just bring them all back...