The New Gods Vol. 2: Edge of Darkness

The New Gods (2024)

by Ram V, Jorge Fornés (Illustrator), Evan Cagle (Illustrator)

Gods have fallen, and Earth must now reckon with what rises to take their place.

It began with a prophecy. From the moment those enigmatic words were delivered from the Source, shock waves rocked the very foundation of the universe. History was written, worlds were conquered, and a new light--in the form of a prophesied child—shone upon the DCU. But this child, and his unimaginable power, has attracted the attention of evils both human and Apokoliptian. Now on earth and working alongside the Justice League Unlimited, will the New Gods be able to save the newest member of their tribe before it’s too late?

This volume collects The New Gods #7–12.

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Sequential Art, Adult, Graphic Novels Comics

136 pages, Hardcover

First published March 24, 2026

About the author

Ram V (Ramnarayan Venkatesan) is an author and comic book writer from Mumbai, India. His comics career began in 2012 with the award-nominated Indian comic series, Aghori. A graduate of the City University of London’s Creative Writing MA, he has since created the critically acclaimed Black Mumba and the fantasy adventure series, Brigands.

Reviews

[Oscar]

Good volume!

[Paul]

2.5 stars

[André Habet]

Ram V is one of my favorite contemporary comic writers. He, and Evan Cagle and the other artist contributors here deserve better than whatever editorial intervention led to this very sloppy ending.

The new antagonists of this run seemed poised for an interesting arc, ideologically representing apathy, indifference and stoicism in the face of struggle positioned against the hope and wonder of the new gods. But then they’re tossed aside as the book returns to old enemies.

There’s also the pointlessness of adding the justice league to this book as they play no major role in it and function largely as background characters likely included to help sell the book based on covers.

One thing Ram V does here that I wasn’t a fan of was the necessity for readers to have prior familiarity with the new gods and their factions for some of what’s included here to make an impact. One character betrays the new gods but it didn’t mean anything to me because he’s just a guy here. Who cares?

Gillian, who was tasked with a similar goal in modernizing the Eternals, who are either basis for the new gods or the other way around (I can’t remember), did a much better job bringing those characters to modern storytelling in a wonderful way.

I hope Ram V and Cagle return to another creator owned project because this was a mess with an abrupt end and a status quo shift that I suspect won’t be paid off well in whatever follows.

[Declan]

Well that was pretty rubbish, especially considering how good the first six issues were (the first TPb).

We start with the New Genesians arriving on earth, seeking refuge. Why, you might wonder, would beings so much more powerful than humanity; with technology far beyond our capabilities seek refuge from us, and not simply find an appropriate uninhabited planet? Don't worry about it. I understand that DC artists and writers can't help but shoehorn their politics into everything, but if you're going to insist on an immigration allegory, maybe use refugees who need our help and don't just land here and then goad the most powerful government on the planet into trying something to see how it works out for them. And extra marks for Green Arrow calling Hal Jordan a bootlicker for suggesting it might be a good idea to control non-terrestrial super beings (who are at war with other non-terrestrial super beings) from bringing their catastrophic war to our little planet. Chef's kiss!

Kamal's story develops but as a plot device rather than as a character. Serafin is introduced as a means of progressing the story, but his arrival and departure feels empty, without any of the emotional weight that Ram V was aiming for. As disappointing and disjointed as that was, the introduction of Black Racer was a thousand times worse. "Hey look at this guy. This is who he really is. Look at this thing he does." This happens over the course of about five pages in total, and we NEVER see him again. His role could have been replaced by a number of more fitting characters, including the Justice League or the Green Lantern Corp, who are actually frivolously underused in this same book.

The ending is about as enjoyable as getting your socks wet during a walk. It wasn't quite as bad as Kamal being 'the friends we made along the way,' but barely.

I was tempted to give this 1* but there was one line that reminded me why I used to love comics: a colossal Big Barda booming " what good does it do to be able to see the weaknesses in a mountain?" It was actually pretty cool and the art was gorgeous.

In general the art was inconsistent and at times ugly, but this was usually due to guest artists, so Evan Cagle still rates fairly highly to me.

Overall it's not worth the money.

[A Fan of Comics]

Epic tale or epic fail?

Darkseid is no more! You’d expect everyone to be celebrating, instead it’s a rush to find a child that seems to be exhibiting signs of a new darkseid coming into power. The new (old?) gods track down the kid, but so do a few others. Now earth finds itself the new home of the gods…

I was excited for this series. It has characters that I love, with creators I have enjoyed in the past. Unfortunately, couldn’t get into this series. I enjoyed the first half more, as soon as they start this vol they seem to drop everything from the first. Overall the book felt a little messy. Maybe it’s better as monthly’s, but I really wish it had a better plan for the way the different art types were used in each issue. Also didn’t love each art style used but I wouldn’t say they were bad. Some of the cameos from other DC series were cool, and I wonder if reading those first and then this book would make the experience a bit better. Not sure, but overall the event/story feels very short for it being 12 issues. Maybe some of the flashbacks or history could have been cut down? I know it’s suppose to be an epic but by the time we got to any action, the issue was done and that’s pretty much how the end felt too.

[Alex]

A tale of cosmic proportions brought to earth! While the scale is brought down a bit this time, and interacts a bit more with the justice league, the tale of the two future leaders of New Genesis is still the core.
Part of the story is hinging on potential, clearly the whole story is not done yet. that'll determine how some feel about it. what we do have is still entertaining, and every issue has one to four pages where ram V is waxing poetically about the nature of these gods. Those pages are the reason you read this, and this is one of the few series I have read that effectively uses different artists where it isn't jarring.

I am a little annoyed this early on that the magical new God kid, is nothing more than really a MacGuffin. He feels much more of a plot device more then a character. But I did stay for Scott Free and Orion's dynamic and parallel theming. my feelings on this series as a whole will crystallize better if and when we get more of it in the future. it's all very cool to look at, but the plot is not done, has the potential to be something more given we get more.

[Riley Pilgrim]

Thus concludes Ram V’s New Gods run. I really enjoyed this, and while this final volume is much more straightforward, I’m excited to see where DC takes the New Gods after this. Ram V has set up a lot of threads that could be followed. With Scott becoming Highfather, Orion going out to search for Darkseid, and what will happen with Seriphen after everything he’s done.

My only minor gripes with this volume is that some of the art for the early issues just sucks. I really don’t like how any of it looked, luckily later that’s fixed for the final arc. Other than that I generally liked what Ram V had done for the new gods. I recommend people check this out if they love these characters.

[Corinna]

need more now

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy]

Highly recommend this run to anyone who tries to read New Gods, this is a great starting point for one of the most difficult to follow groups in DC.

The focus on the inevitability of the decisions of the gods is such an interesting concept. When you read a comic for most heroes it’s like, oh I hope Batman is able to stop the joker or Spider-Man needs to save that subway car. The Gods run on a different wavelength, their decisions are less their own and more what will happen- it’s predestined. Living a life that isn’t your own. A very deep thought.

[Mocassin]

Un tome plus "accessible" que le premier dans la mesure où c'est maintenant l'heure de l'affrontement, c'est donc plus "blockbuster" mais toujours avec une identité forte grâce aux touches d'introspection et de philosophie de Ram V.

On s'inscrit en plus dans l'actuelle grande intrigue DC mais sans jamais dépendre de quoi que ce soit d'autre.

Un très bon récit qui vieillira probablement très bien !

[Alex Sarll]

The first volume was conceptually flawed, but some kind of epic within that. Here, though, we fall into the mush of standard modern DC, far too many characters and little reason given to care about any of them unless you bring prior investment to add to what's on the page. It's all opaque references to other events, interspersed with clunky moments like John Stewart declaring "refugees are welcome". Which, given these particular refugees are incredibly dangerous aliens with an annihilating armada on their tail, is not necessarily a winning political analogy anyway. And it's almost impressive to have a book where most of the cast are gods yet which still has an unsatisfactory deus ex machina resolution.

[Lucas]

Took me a little to get back into the groove of this one. The second part of this killer run does away with the mythological catching up, and goes straight into the action. The new-New God child has been kidnapped, and our heroes will do everything in their power to prevent him from falling into the hands of Darkseid. I kind of expected it to end on a big cliff hanger leading into an event or something, and I'm glad I was wrong. Ram V managed to tie this into the currently ongoing greater DCU narrative, while still keeping it entirely enjoyable as a standalone. Evan Cagle's art remains absolute peak, his Big Barda alone makes this whole run worth it !

[Utkarsh Bansal]

The New Gods are an extremely fascinating set of ideas and lore, but I'm still waiting for a story to fully match that potential. This one comes as close as any yet.

[Charlie]

The next volume in Ram V's New Gods odyssey delivers on the positive start of "The Falling Sky". "Edge of Darkness" builds on all the drama set up in the previous issues and provides a satisfying and compelling conclusion to the arc surrounding a mysterious child at the heart of a cosmic prophecy. What Ram V does well in this book is play upon the relationship and differences between the sons of Darkseid and Highfather, Orion and Mister Miracle. Somewhat this story serves as a passing of the baton (following Darkseid's death and Highfather's retirement) to the two most powerful New Gods. Orion is the warrior, a leading general that will no doubt play a large part in the war to come. Mister Miracle is their heart. This is best displayed towards the end where both attempt to rescue the child from ripping a whole between the main DC Universe and what is implied to the reader to be the Absolute Universe (and the key to Darkseid's return), and it is Mister Miracle who provides the emotional strength to save the universe and ultimately be granted the title of Highfather. It felt like a full circle moment for a character who has struggled with his identity as a child of New Genesis or Apokolips. However, there does feel shortcomings to this story - largely the main antagonists of the previous volume essentially all but disappear and only get a slight bit of action towards the end, despite us being told they are nigh impossible to beat. It feels like too much is being squeezed into one story and that the writer really wants to focus on the more interesting elements that are coming into play for the wider future of DC Comics but is constrained by what he has wrote prior. Still, this is a thoroughly exciting contemporary title I'll continue to keep my eye on.

[Chris Lemmerman]

[Review covers the entire series]

War has come to New Genesis. A baby has been born that looks to change everything. Darkseid wants it. Highfather wants it. Scott Free and Big Barda, celebrating their own newborn child, need it. This'll end well for everyone.

This is some great stuff - when Ram V gets philosophical, you know you're going to sit up and take notice. There are discussions of meaning in the universe, the price of just one life, and what people will do to protect the people they care about, all wrapped up in a cosmic odyssey (not that one) that reaches out across the stars. I'm not as familiar with the New Gods mythos as the rest of the DCU, but I can tell V's done his research here. The ending promises to feed more into the overall plan for Darkseid as a part of DC All-In, so while this can be read as a self-contained story, it's definitely got greater implications elsewhere too.

The artwork is primarily Evan Cagle, though he drops away in the middle of the series to just do a few pages per issue, which is a bit disappointing. He's got a distinctive, sweeping style that really adds to the gravitas of everything that's going on, and while the other artists are formidable in their own right, they're not as series-defining on their own.

Not my favourite of V's work at DC, but still a very solid run that I expect even Jack Kirby himself would enjoy.

[Clint]

A hugely promising vol1 is let down by a mess of a follow up. Cagle’s art still looks great on the pages he’s responsible for, but Pye Parr draws way too much of this volume and as interesting as his art might be on its own, he brings a totally different (and much goofier) tone to the visuals that I found at odds with Ram V’s storytelling here.

That writing is its own mess, though. After a mythic and philosophically focused first volume, these issues are almost entirely the sort of comic plotting that provides a middle paragraph for a few character articles in some comic wiki and is then largely forgotten about. There’s big name Justice Leaguers filling out panel edges for no good reason, deep cut characters whose past or current actions get no particular context so you’re gonna need pre-existing attachment if you hope to understand or appreciate their significance, and otherwise a rushed and abruptly fixed cosmic threat devoid of either emotionally compelling stakes or particularly thrilling action.

I’ve enjoyed several Fourth World-featuring comics in recent years and am always piqued when a new one is announced, but this one is ultimately a disappointment.

[Mathew]

Parts of this were great, even outstanding, but the story ended up being far less ambitious than vol.1 seemed to suggest. The expanded cast of character is still a lot of fun and with the exception of Pye Parr's contributions the art remained fantastic. This book didn't work as well for me with the multiple points of view and there isn't all that much plot closure, but I admit that what the book lacks in bigger ideas it makes up for with lots of cute or interesting character moments, and like vol.1 there are some fantastic Kirby tributes. Overall, I was a bit ho-hum on what I felt was a very obvious ending that could have been moved to the middle of the book for a more "miraculous" finish.

I'd still read a part 3. there are some glaring threads that need to be addressed. Plus am I alone in wanting to see Lightray come back and save the day, kick some ass, and take some names? The whole Racer VS Lightray sub sub sub plot from waaaay back in the day was addressed in what I thought was a really fun way in part.1. so not having a follow up to that story line was a bit disappointing.

[Joey Nardinelli]

I’ve always been a bit New Gods-curious. Their appearance in the Animated Superman of my childhood always seemed perplexing — they really felt like gods who I couldn’t quite understand, whereas Darkseid’s Apokolipsians felt like the fallen dregs of humanity. Decades later, I finally read King’s Mister Miracle and that really sealed things for me. In this run by Ram V, I’ve been just as impressed by the art despite it being aesthetically all over the place I am but the quality of the layouts and the dialogue. The parallelisms struck between Kamal, Orion, and Scott Free are beautiful, Akala is a character I want to spend more time with now, and Barda gets a really fun hero moment before the end. I think I might be more into some of these stories than those of the Asgardians of Marvel. The relationship between Highfather and Darkseid remains pretty compelling, much more so than I ever felt the story of Odin and Laufey (though those aren’t at all bad stories unto themselves). I’m just surprised when DC gets its hooks back into me, especially back to back now with Absolute Batman. Just love getting to see Ram V do a major label property and keep it feeling like his writing too.

[Zachary Shaye]

I’ll be honest, I expected this volume to end on more of an exclamation point than an ellipsis...

That being said, I still had an amazing time with Scott Free, Big Barda, Orion, and the rest of the New Gods. Ram V has crafted such a fascinating interpretation of these characters that, even if this conclusion left me yearning for something a little more definitive, I’m incredibly excited for the day he returns to this corner of the DC Universe.

For now, the story of Ram V’s New Gods ends not with a period, but an ellipsis...

And I cannot wait to see what comes next!!

I believe he has a 36 issue, 3 arc plan! So we have only seen act 1 of this epic!! Cannot wait for more!!

[Oliver Brawn]

This was Franky just gorgeous, the story and art really do blend to really create a genuine feeling of a new mythology. The new gods feel as real as many ancient pantheons. Ram V has clearly taken inspiration from the early Kirby work on new gods and infused this with his own cultural experience and that has really enriched the story. Now, hopefully he just gets to finish this and this may end up a 5.

[Aliyu]

The finale of the New Gods story by Ram V is a fun and interesting set of ideas and from the stories of various gods to thoughts on destiny and who you are or who you could be. I enjoyed it for the most part. The art continues to be stunning.

[Adam Gerber]

It didn’t get that much better but I will say on the reread I understood what was going on FAR more. The core story of Highfather, Orion and Mister Miracle works well enough. It’s really hard not to compare it to Tom King but I will say credit to Ram V, he incorporated it all into the broader DC universe well. I kept thinking of Young Justice, which is both a compliment and a bit of an insult insofar as both stories a little bloated by way of characters. ICE allusions continue to be effecting and I liked Maxwell Lord’s Icarus complex. I fkn hated the art in issues 9 and 10 though so overall a mixed bag I probably wouldn’t recommend to normies.

[Tanner Scott]

I want to complain about how rushed the conclusion to the built up villain was, but honestly, there were some awesome character moments here. It was pretty cool stuff, and I love anything that glazes Mister Miracle. He's my goat.

[Santiago Girón]

glad it isn't over
this book has way to many things to talk about and it needs a lot more issues than just 12 in order to truly reach its full potential

[Josh Lemongrab]

Read as Single Issues

[Dair]

An interesting story overall. Cagle's art continues to be the best part of the series. Unfortunately the fill-in artists don't live up to his standard, but also don't detract from the story.

[Keegan Schueler]

Banger volume and the inclusion of the justice league makes sense for how the big the scale of this story gets.

[Matt Sautman]

As another excellent run of New Gods comes to an end, I find myself wishing yet again that the title could have a longstanding series like John Byrne did (and Jack Kirby should have been able to do).

[Will Cooper]

The art was cool and the writing felt sprawling. Big fan of this.

[Jeff Morgan]

2.5

Like the first volume, the second volume is overly complex with too many characters and subplots. It’s nearly impossible to tell what’s going on.