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The New God, Lightray, died mysteriously in the fourth week of the DC series Countdown. He would not be the last New God to die.

Jim Starlin is the author and illustrator of an eight-issue mini-series, published by DC Comics, titled The Death of the New Gods.

Issue number one opens with the words "So begins. the end". The planet Apokolips dominates most of the page and Darkseid speaks. "Planets crumble. Stars burn out. Even gods die." With these opening lines, Starlin sets the tone for the story.

Husband and wife team, Mister Miracle and Big Barda, play a large role in this first issue. Starlin does a nice job of presenting them as a loving couple, who also happen to be superheroes. He gives these New Gods a human quality that makes me care about them. When one of them dies at the end of this first issue, I find myself empathizing with the one that is left behind.

Metron, a time traveling New God, also plays an important role in this story. A mystery is presented when, after another night of a recurring dream, he states, "The very heavens are in the midst of celestial flux. A cosmic transformation of galactic proportions may well be under way." As I read these lines I found myself wondering: Does this have anything to do with Lightray's death? Is this part of the lead up to Final Crisis? These questions make me curious as to what the rest of the series will reveal.

In this first issue, Starlin gives us two wonderful double page spreads showing the contrasting worlds of Apokolips and New Genesis. Where Apokolips is dark and menacing, New Genesis is bright and welcoming. On Apokolips, the characters have weapons and snarls on their faces, which gives a feeling of war and hatred. On New Genesis they smile and fly around creating a feeling of peace and happiness.

As issue one ends, there have been three more deaths and, New Genesis resident, Orion has become the prime suspect. Metron contacts Darkseid about the "cosmic transformation" and realizes that Darkseid may already know what is going on.

I found Starlin's use of Darkseid as the narrator a great choice. As the ruler of Apokolips he has a certain omnipresence already, which makes him an appropriate choice for narrator. Since he also seems to already know what is going to happen this adds to his "qualifications" for being the story narrator.

At this point, Starlin has me curious enough that I want to read the second issue but whether I finish reading the entire series is yet to be determined.

Learn more about this author, Veronica Beaudry.
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