You Missed That Issue! – Small Gods #1

Welcome to another You Missed That Issue! where I will talk about a comic within the past decade that is a modern classic but was unfortunately overlooked. I wasn't expecting much from Small Gods, but I thought I'd try this title from Image publishers since it was free. Going back I would definitely pay for more. It deserves recognition for trying something new and without the classic tight-wearing superheroes with indestructible bodies. The art also takes a creative approach. It was in black-and-white, which seemed appropriate to me and I liked the way the characters were drawn. Few comics have been drawn in black-and-white and there are even fewer that can successfully pull it off but this title did a great job. The best piece of art I saw was a collection of visions the lead character has that have less shading and are clearly different from the rest. It was composed of two stories, but only one that I believe deserves the title of a modern classic since it shows innovation and creativity. Today, a lot of creativity is lost in series since people start buying a series just to see a character rather than experience a new and original story. Some people will settle for anything as long as it has there favorite character in it – I know, I am definitely guilty of this myself when a comic features Catwoman or the Clown Prince of Crime Joker. In this issue the story of the world of Small Gods is quickly unraveled at the beginning. Pre-cogs, telepaths and other psychic abilities are a scientific fact and about 1% of the people on earth have these powers. Pre-cogs can't legally use there powers to invade other peoples privacy, unless they are cops like the main character in our story. Not only is the story intriguing, but it frequently references the judicial system and makes the topic a very realistic and plausible outcome for the future. Plenty of comics feature superheroes with amazing strengths, like Superman. This makes him interesting but far from realistic and often brings up the question "Is anyone really capable of defeating him?" Here, the characters are very human with only a scientifically explained disorder that can help them put pieces of a crime together, but does not shield them from bullets, making everything more suspenseful since the threat of death is very real. The characters were not fully introduced, but it's only the first issue so I hope the rest of the issues will continue to develop the characters – the only real flaw in this issue. This story is easily one of the best I've ever read, instantly earning a spot on my favorite series list even though I've only read the first issue. Creativity is key in this issue. It is so different from the normal comic you would probably pick up but does something new and interesting to this day, despite having come out in 2004. This issue may have a few minor problems but deserves much more recognition for trying something new and really standing out from many other comics – if people would only give it a chance.