Spin your tale sage. This should be amusing.
Serves as a introduction and backstory for the game Smite. It is written by John Jackson Miller and published by Dark Horse Comics. Events of this comic became the basis for the game's Odyssey 2018, as well as the card game Hand of the Gods.
Smite provides examples of:
- Adaptational Heroism: Some of the gods drop their Jerk Ass God tendencies from their respective myths. Justified, however, as they draw their power from worshippers
- Adaptational Villainy: Hel in the game usually had her Split Personality sadism Played for Laughs. In the comics, however, her light and dark forms are essentially the same, giving her one sole personality, one obsessed with balance.
- Ancient Grome: It's revealed in the comic that the Greco-Roman gods are known by different names in the borderlands between Asgard and Olympia, for example, Athena calls Mercury as Hermes, while his faithful in one of that borderlands call him as Mercury (his Roman name).
- Anyone Can Die: Zeus died at the first volume, then Mercury died next. And in the game's Odyssey 2018, next in line to die is Chaac at the hands of Ares because he got in the way of hunting Anubis, whom Ares suspected as the murderer of Zeus. In the end, Ares manages to kill Anubis.
- All Myths Are True: Just like the game. This is actually the cause of the first War of the Gods since the various pantheons were afraid of losing their followers to another pantheon.
- Apocalypse How: The god battles are destroying the human realm.
- Big, Screwed-Up Family: Every god is part of one. Since the various pantheons have split into factions and fighting each other, they've only gotten worse.
- Cain and Abel: Hades helps orchestrate his brother Zeus' murder
- Call-Forward: Or Call-Back, depending on when Athena made Arachne what she isAthena: I don't much care for spiders
- Creation Myth: Homer tells how many of the gods helped create the world.
- Crossover Cosmology: Much like the game.
- Divine Conflict: The comic goes over the second one about whether humans should worship them or be free. The first was more straightforward and happens before the comic starts.
- Everybody Hates Hades: Hades assists in Zeus' murder.
- Eye of Horus Means Egypt: Ra's throne has a giant one.
- Fanservice: Many of the Gods don't wear armor, showing off their very sculpted bodies.
- Girl on Girl Is Hot:Athena: (to Neith) Shall we dance all night? I'd rather get straight to itMercury: I'd like to see that
- Hero Killer: Loki kills Zeus and Mercury, and threatens to kill Hel.
- I Have Many Names: See Ancient Grome above.
- The Kingslayer: Loki kills Zeus, presumably more instances like this will likely appear due to the nature of this franchise.
- Male Gaze: Made hilarious with Athena when she notices Mercury staring at Neith."Oh, act like you've seen a woman before."
- Ship Tease: There's a brief one between Neith and Mercury
- Title Drop:Loki: And you would, what... smite as many gods as you could before death?
Athena: If you would smite the evil that befalls your world— - You Killed My Father: Athena towards Loki.Athena: Loki! You murdered my father and my friend!
- Your Little Dismissive Diminutive
