Divinity #1 (comics) Review

A Soviet cosmonaut is about to find out what makes a man into a god, and the Valiant Universe is going to have to deal with the repercussions of the dawn of maybe it’s most powerful character.

I wasn’t expecting much from Divinity, I have to admit. The book just didn’t seem all that interesting to me, and the themes, while interesting enough, just didn’t have the punch of a book like last week’s debut of Imperium. Oh how wrong I was.

Writer Mat Kindt has crafted a unique and incredibly deep story with this first issue of what certainly seems like what’ll be a stunner of a limited series. Divinity starts off with the recounting of a Soviet, Cold War era, cosmonaut who’s sent out on a highly experimental mission into deep space. He’s out to chart the edges of the galaxy itself and, the USSR hopes, soundly defeat the US in the space race.

Somewhere in the narrative, and it would have been nice to have had a little bit more of an explanation as to how (though I assume it’s coming in future issues), he is altered. Abram Adams undergoes a change that makes him what could only be described as a ‘god’. And, when you get to the revelations of some of the abilities that he has, it’s very easy to imagine that he’s the new alpha of the Valiant U.

Helping to flesh out those powers and abilities, as well as the rest of the tale, is artist Doug Braithwaite. His realistic style fits the book to a tee, and the more… fantastic elements of the story are all that much more emphasized by the grounding that the rest of the pages have. I have to mention here too that the color really pops. I can’t place my finger on why exactly, maybe it’s the drabness of the world contracted against the bursts of sharp color, but Divinity is very easy on the eyes indeed.

Final Thoughts

This book will change the Valiant Universe, there’s little doubt of that, and if you’re a reader of the line, then you’re going to want to make sure you at least check it out. This isn’t your standard superhero comic, it’s way more steeped in science fiction that most books, and it’s got some heady concepts in there for good measure.

Kindt is on point here and so it Braithwaite, who both turn in stellar work. I loved this comic and it’s pretty much a lock that I’ll be checking out the rest of the four-issue run. Do yourself a favor and do the same.