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akrajkow87's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
mildhonestbonsai's review
5.0
Wow. What a comic book series. Definitely one of my top favorite comic storylines.
jekutree's review
4.0
Disregarding the specials that go back in time to previous pantheons, I really enjoyed this volume. It was probably my favorite of the 4 books (yet again, disregarding the specials) and it really delivers on giving a final statement on the themes of fame, art and divinity.
theghostintheattic's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
swansandroses's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
kkevinhb's review
I binge read these books through the latter half of May, finally getting through the hardcovers I’d collected. I can’t bring myself to rate the series as a whole, let alone the individual collections, because I’m of such a conflicted mind about it.
I picked up the first arc in single issues when the series first released in the summer of 2014. I’d caught wind of the buzz, and when I saw the Bryan Lee O’Malley variant cover for issue 1, I knew I had to have it. That was while I was still in college, though, and had to budget my comics wisely, so after the first arc, I had to stop picking it up monthly.
I’m glad I did, because once the core story picks up, I can’t imagine waiting a month between each installment. Having to remember everything over that time? Especially when some key explanations literally don’t get confirmed/revealed until the last 3 issues? It woulda lost me anyway.
And that’s really the main problem I have with this series. I’ve enjoyed Gillen’s other stuff, and will continue to read what he puts out, but this series in particular seemed to mistake missing information for mystery. Obviously mystery demands some info to be withheld, but much of this series seemed to fall back on keeping core mechanics shrouded, which left the characters, plot, and world-building feeling unsatisfying, unknowable, and, frankly, at times unenjoyable. The story was absolutely strong enough to stand on its own two feet, but Gillen seemed to put a lot of eggs in the basket of “make things so unclear that the constant ‘huh?’ factor will keep people coming back.”
But that detracted from some of the more powerful character moments, as well as intriguing plot twists. In my humble opinion, a good twist should result in an “oh my god” reaction rather than a “wait, what?” one.
I believe the social commentary Gillen was exploring, especially in 2014/2015, was worthwhile, if a little on the nose in its depiction at times. However, reading it in 2020, I couldn’t help but feel that some of the primary points being made felt a bit dated already. Not invalid, but the tone, use, and perception of social media platforms have shifted in the last half decade, for better or for worse.
I ultimately appreciated the main theme communicated, although, similar to the “stories are important” monologue in the Game of Thrones finale, there was some sense of “we went through all of that to just get to this?” Again, a good theme, generally well presented, and yet I feel like it further reinforces that the deployment of “gotcha” moments and withholding of important, orienting information in place of more dramatic character twists and interactions made much of the book feel a bit flat.
Still, the art was consistently pleasant and made settings and characters distinctive. And I could read another whole hardcover’s worth of one-shots about previous pantheons. This may be a series I revisit in the future, but in the meantime, I’m happy to let them sit on my shelf, and I’m glad to have them. It certainly helps that the designs are gorgeous.
I picked up the first arc in single issues when the series first released in the summer of 2014. I’d caught wind of the buzz, and when I saw the Bryan Lee O’Malley variant cover for issue 1, I knew I had to have it. That was while I was still in college, though, and had to budget my comics wisely, so after the first arc, I had to stop picking it up monthly.
I’m glad I did, because once the core story picks up, I can’t imagine waiting a month between each installment. Having to remember everything over that time? Especially when some key explanations literally don’t get confirmed/revealed until the last 3 issues? It woulda lost me anyway.
And that’s really the main problem I have with this series. I’ve enjoyed Gillen’s other stuff, and will continue to read what he puts out, but this series in particular seemed to mistake missing information for mystery. Obviously mystery demands some info to be withheld, but much of this series seemed to fall back on keeping core mechanics shrouded, which left the characters, plot, and world-building feeling unsatisfying, unknowable, and, frankly, at times unenjoyable. The story was absolutely strong enough to stand on its own two feet, but Gillen seemed to put a lot of eggs in the basket of “make things so unclear that the constant ‘huh?’ factor will keep people coming back.”
But that detracted from some of the more powerful character moments, as well as intriguing plot twists. In my humble opinion, a good twist should result in an “oh my god” reaction rather than a “wait, what?” one.
I believe the social commentary Gillen was exploring, especially in 2014/2015, was worthwhile, if a little on the nose in its depiction at times. However, reading it in 2020, I couldn’t help but feel that some of the primary points being made felt a bit dated already. Not invalid, but the tone, use, and perception of social media platforms have shifted in the last half decade, for better or for worse.
I ultimately appreciated the main theme communicated, although, similar to the “stories are important” monologue in the Game of Thrones finale, there was some sense of “we went through all of that to just get to this?” Again, a good theme, generally well presented, and yet I feel like it further reinforces that the deployment of “gotcha” moments and withholding of important, orienting information in place of more dramatic character twists and interactions made much of the book feel a bit flat.
Still, the art was consistently pleasant and made settings and characters distinctive. And I could read another whole hardcover’s worth of one-shots about previous pantheons. This may be a series I revisit in the future, but in the meantime, I’m happy to let them sit on my shelf, and I’m glad to have them. It certainly helps that the designs are gorgeous.
kierli's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A great use of gods, really enjoyed the twists, the ending was so good and I loved the meta conversation at the end
talon1010's review
5.0
An elegant finish to what is now and forever my favorite series of graphic novels. The story is not all it was; it changed form in many ways over its course, in the final quarter most of all. Still lots of drama and excitement, of course, but as it turned out, the direction /had/ to change. For more on that, you'll have to read it, so do yourself a favor and don't put off the end like I did.