Ordinary Gods, Vol. 1: God Spark

Past lives and old enemies come back to haunt the heroes of this high-concept, globe-spanning jaunt, another collaboration from Higgins and Watanabe (Radiant Black), with Clark as cowriter. Christopher is 22 years old, worried that nothing he’ll do matters, and depressed because of it. But then his 12-year-old little sister, Brianna, murders his whole family. Rescued by a mysterious fighter named Dominic, Christopher is informed by Dominic and Sareh, the head of a powerful organization, that he’s actually a god trapped in a cycle of reincarnation in the prison that is Earth. He’s tasked with destroying this Earth-prison and leading a group of five other gods against an immortal tyrant, the One King. Only by doing this can Christopher unbind Brianna from the being who is controlling her body and is hell-bent on killing him. There’s a lot to admire in this ambitious outing: Watanabe’s art makes excellent use of negative space, and the ample dramatic action and worldbuilding will entice high fantasy fans. However, as the narrative jumps away from Christopher and his gang to flashbacks and side characters—with convenient plot devices employed along the way—character development falls behind, and when the gods realize their immortality, they seem to lose their personalities. This one has too much supernatural drama and not enough human touch. (Feb.)