Jonathan Hickman Introduces GODS to the Marvel Universe, First Look (Exclusive)

When writer Jonathan Hickman made his long-anticipated return to Marvel Comics in 2019, he turned the X-Men’s corner of the Marvel Universe upside-down in . However, those weren’t the only plans he had in mind for reshaping Marvel’s world. In addition to bringing back the Ultimate Marvel Universe, Hickman is creating what Marvel Comics is now calling GODS, a brand new addition to Marvel’s mythology involving agents of “The Power That Be” and “The Natural Order of Things,” who are asking questions about such fundamental questions as the nature of good and life and death. Fans got their first taste of GODS in this year’s Free Comic Book Day: Avengers/X-Men title ahead of GODS #1 arriving in comic book stores on October 4th.

ComicBook.com can reveal an exclusive first look at GODS #1, featuring artwork by Valerio Schti and Marte Gracia, as well as the issue’s cover by Mateus Manhanini. We also asked Hickman questions about the series, though he remains guarded about its secrets. Take a look below:

You’ve said that GODS is the other series bible you wrote when you returned to Marvel, along with House of X. How do the two compare? Is there a shared DNA that fans of House of X will spot, or is GODS a very different beast? How does the scale of GODS compare to the considerable scale of what you did with House of X?

I think they’re pretty far apart. I mean, I guess they’re similar in scale, as that’s the kind of stuff I tend to do for Marvel, but one (GODS) is an original concept and the other (X-Men) is a franchise with over a half a century of lore attached to it. That’s a pretty big difference regarding what you can do story-wise because you don’t get to play against existing reader expectations or add a little splash of nostalgia to make a scene have a bit more weight than it would in a vacuum. What you do get is the shiny benefits of something being ‘new,’ which isn’t nothing. 

I’ve also been around long enough that my tics have sort of become a style, so I’m sure that might be something people could point to and find similarities, but to me, these are just very different types of stories. 

I suppose the closest thing I’ve done to GODS was S.H.I.E.L.D., which was great fun, but I think I’m much more equipped to do a story like this now than I was then.

GODS has been described as taking place in the cracks at the intersection of science and magic in its corner of the Marvel Universe. As much as you’re willing to say at this point, what do those cracks and that corner look like? How do magic and science interact with each other? Is this fantasy or sci-fi? Both, or something else?

The cracks and corners look pretty great. Valerio Schitti is a fantastic artist and from the first time I got to work with him on some fairly important New Avengers books back in the day, I knew he had an entirely different gear in his toolbox that he could pull out whenever he had the time and space to do so. 

And I’m very happy that, because we’ve been working on this for quite some time, he’s actually had the runway he needed to design all the characters and locations and the additional time to draw the book in the manner he wanted. 

As for whether it’s Sci-Fi or Fantasy, I’d say one of the points of the book is that the Marvel universe is both, and having someone like Valerio on board who can do both is what makes him the perfect artist for the book. 

You’re introducing a cast of new and mysterious characters that are said to be agents of the Powers That Be and the Natural Order of Things. What more can you say, at this point, about who these characters are, who, or what, they serve, and what that working relationship between them is like? 

Well, except for Doctor Strange (who’s in the first few issues), and some cameos by Marvel regulars, nothing I say here is going to help anyone understand these concepts and characters because they’re new. 

And the book is kind of out there. 

The good news is that the first issue is 55 pages long, and by the end of that issue, you’ll have a solid idea of what the book is all about. 

People often associate your work with big ideas, with the examination of systems as a recurring theme. What are the ideas and systems you’re trying to consider with GODS, and should we expect to see them represented via infographic pages, which people also associate with your writing? 

I guess thematically, it’s a book about gods and men. Or things we think of as gods and men. The axes of science and magic, good and evil, and life and death. So fairly primal stuff. People will pick up on all that immediately, I think. 

As for the Marvel Handbook stuff I like to add into the comics, I mentioned earlier that the first issue is pretty long, but so far each issue has been a little longer than what we consider a standard page count. I’m honestly not sure we’re going to have the room. 

If we don’t, I might add some stuff to the trade, but if there’s room, I’m sure some data pages will pop up.

GODS #1 goes on sale on October 4th.