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82 of 86 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Prepare To Enter The Fourth World..., June 23, 2007
This review is from: Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus, Vol. 1 (Hardcover)
First Impressions:
The Cover is gorgeous. A larger than life copy of a close-up on Orion - very evocative of the whole Kirby Fourth World experience.
The "heft" of the tome is very light, feeling more like a trade-paper back than a hardcover edition.
The reason for this feather-weight feel is soon obvious. The paper used in this volume is quite unexpected. My initial reaction was one of disappointment and dismay. The paper looks and feels like a higher quality newsprint, not at all what one would expect for a book with a $50.00 cover price! Upon closer examination, there does not seem to be immediate concerns; the paper itself seems quite sturdy - it doesn't have the same feeling of shoddiness that regular newsprint entails and the ink seems to be quite permanent and smear-proof. Upon further examination, I actually began to feel quite good about this rather unorthodox choice. The paper really evokes the feel of an early 70s comic books and it really carries the somewhat garish colors of the original comic (which are faithfully reproduced btw) very well. It really suits the emotional, nostalgia experience.
For those that care about such things, the binding is glued, not sewn, but seems to be well-done and very strong.
Content:
In addition to an introduction by the esteemed Grant Morrison and an afterward by Kirby associate and close friend, Mark Evanier, there are a few Kirby concept drawings.
The heart of the book however are the chronological reprints of the following:
Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #133 (Oct 1970)
Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #134 (Dec 1970)
Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #135 (Jan 1971)
The Forever People #1 (Feb 1971)
The New Gods #1 (Feb 1971)
Mister Miracle #1 (Mar 1971)
Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #136 (Mar 1971)
The Forever People #2 (May 1971)
The New Gods #2 (May 1971)
Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #137 (May 1971)
Mister Miracle #2 (June 1971)
The Forever People #3 (July 1971)
Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #138 (July 1971)
The New Gods #3 (July 1971)
Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #139 (July 1971)
Mister Miracle #3 (Aug 1971)
"Wow". Reading or re-reading this volume is just plain fun. For those of us who grew up reading/loving comics in the 60s, there was probably no bigger shock than discovering that Jack Kirby, the heart and soul of the Marvel Universe, was jumping ship to DC. One thing that Jack insisted on for his DC tenure was more creative control of his output. This book represents nothing less than Kirby Unleashed. In re-reading these stories - clearly written for a different era (this was coming on the heels of the end of the 60s after all!) one can still feel the raw electricity, the sheer exuberance of the unbridled creativity pouring from Kirby. Sure, a lot of the dialogue is awkward - a middle-aged man trying to capture the "groovy" language of the youth culture. Nevertheless, these works are nothing short of, well, utterly psychedelic, man! More concisely, Kirby was creating an astounding new mythos which would profoundly change the way the comic book universe of DC would work henceforth and which would forever impact the entire world of superhero comics (again). These are the first chapter of that new world. Read them for their place in the history of the comic book, read them for the enjoyment!
In summation, this is well worth the Amazon discount price. I look forward to future volumes.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Volume one: Off to a rough, but interesting start, July 21, 2008
This review is from: Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus, Vol. 1 (Hardcover)
Kirby's move to DC after his incredible run at Marvel was one that had long range effects on DC comics. He introduced Darkseid and The New Gods, characters that DC has been going back to you for over three decades. This first volume introduces the characters of Kirby's "Fourth World," his concept of an epic battle between good and evil, where Earth is caught in the middle. It's uneven in quality and the ideas are not fully developed in the beginning but this is where some of comics most outlandish and fascinating stories began. One thing you'll find won't improve is Kirby's dialogue, which is often ungainly and at times painful, but the concepts and art move it all forward. And it all started with..."Jimmy Olson?"
Jimmy Olsen-Yes Kirby wanted to start where his grand plans would not be weighed down by expectations. But Olsen didn't work out. DC in their fear of change redrew Superman's face, a noticeable and odd action that actually distracted from the art. The art also suffered from the inking of Vince Colletta, an inker known for his speed, not his talent. The story kicks right into gear re-introducing The Newsboy Legion and The Guardian in the midst of stories about cloning run wild. I wish I could say it works, but this was a bad fit from the beginning. A Don Rickles storyline? Ouch!
The Forever People- This group of "super kids," as Superman refers to them, is visually interesting, but lacks the template that Kirby puts in place for The New Gods or Mister Miracle. The characters remain ciphers and with the exception of Big Bear, the well-spoken strong man no one stands out in these early stories. The deus ex machina of Infinity Man, who arrives when The Forever People switch places with him, makes the stories predictable form early on.
Mister Miracle- Kirby's master escape artist plays to Kirby's strengths. Kirby's incredible mechanical designs with their futuristic, almost organic feel, coupled with the constant action makes these comics come alive in ways that Jimmy Olsen and the Forever People do not. Creating a very likeable lead with Scott Free, Mr. Miracle has all the elements that will make it the most successful of Kirby's series.
The New Gods- This is the book where Kirby's ideas really come to fruition. The setting of New Genesis with its pastoral beauty against the techno-horror of Apokolips is a wonder, but the characters are the true essence of the story. The brutal warrior, Orion becomes New Genesis' main champion against the menace of Darkseid and his minions. Kirby starts this book with immediate action moving the battleground from Apokolips to Earth and creating a sense of impending danger much more forcefully then he does in the other books.
While not as successful here as he will be in later stories, Kirby sets the tone for his work in Volume I. If your reliving your youth have fun, and if you are new, hang on; the ride gets better.
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26 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Doing right by the King, July 15, 2007
This review is from: Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus, Vol. 1 (Hardcover)
Jeez, some of you guys are scary. Sadly, not knowing what constitutes "newsprint" is only a symptom. The paper stock this collection is printed on is much thicker, and holds ink far better than newsprint. As a friend of mine said, you can actually read this book in daylight, because it's not as absurdly glossy and reflective as the usual high-end archival comics reprint collection paper. Kudos to DC for understanding and respecting the proper context for this material. Newsprint wouldn't keep, but this will. The blacks are solid, the colors are properly saturated, Kirby's story, not the paper, shines.
Things are as they should be here. Flat colour for the most part, not the absurd misuse of computer shading so prevalent in most modern material (digital color can be done right, of course, but we rarely see it in mainstream comics). No "retro" fake halftoning here. Instead, an attention to subtlety, without jarring, attention-grabbing production techniques that have nothing to do with, and add nothing to the content. Asking for anything different is akin to wanting to "improve" black and white by colouring, or line art by painting. Let's get it straight: more "realistic" is not necessarily better. Slicker, glossier, thicker, more more more, is not necessarily better. It certainly wouldn't be here.
Among the blessings we should count: the collection is beautifully designed. with the dust jacket a different image from the actual cover beneath it. That's not lazy production.
And the contents, awesome as they are, will only get better in subsequent volumes as Vince Colletta is replaced as inker by Mike Royer.
Thank you, DC. This is a classy package.
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