Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus, Vol. 1 (Hardcover)

~ Jack Kirby (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In 1970, DC lured Kirby, cocreator of the Fantastic Four and X-Men, from rival Marvel Comics by promising free rein on his imagination. The monumental Fourth World emerged from that promise. Depicting a cosmic struggle between the godlike denizens of the planets New Genesis and Apokolips, it unfurled in four separate serials: the flagship, New Gods; The Forever People, focused on a hippielike band of young godlings; Mister Miracle, featuring the super escape artist of that name; and Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, in which Kirby linked Fourth World to the preexisting DC Universe. The ambitious project was soon derailed by disappointing sales, though many characters Kirby created for it appear in various DC titles to this day. The first of four volumes collecting the whole megillah presents Kirby at his least distilled and most unfettered, generating outlandishly inventive concepts and larger-than-life characters to suit his dynamic drawing and feverishly overwrought dialogue. His vast mythmaking at last receives respectful, hardcover treatment, something unimaginable when it first appeared in the days when comics were considered disposable pulp. Flagg, Gordon

Product Description

After co-creating comic book heroes including The Fantastic Four and The Hulk, legendary writer/artist Jack Kirby came to DC Comics in 1970 to write and illustrate four interlocking series known collectively as "The Fourth World."

Now, for the first time, DC collects these four series -- THE NEW GODS, THE FOREVER PEOPLE, MISTER MIRACLE and SUPERMAN'S PAL JIMMY OLSEN -- in chronological order as they originally appeared. These comics spanned galaxies, from the streets of Metropolis to the far-flung worlds of New Genesis and Apokolips, as cosmic-powered heroes and villains struggled for supremacy.

Volume 1 features the debuts of Orion of the New Gods, the evil Darkseid, super-escape artist Mister Miracle and many others. It also features numerous appearances by Superman.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 396 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (May 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401213448
• ISBN-13: 978-1401213442
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 6.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #157,747 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Prepare To Enter The Fourth World..., June 23, 2007

By	Whoop2Do "Whoop2Do" (Gaithersburg, MD USA) - See all my reviews

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.

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Doing right by the King, July 15, 2007

By	Richard Gagnon "Designer, illustrator, cartoo... (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Visionary Pulp Pen, July 30, 2007

By	Malcolm J. Deeley - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book really is a treasure. As comics embraced the "graphic novel", and time brought depth and adult themes into the four-color world, much was gained, but much was lost as well. One thing that the adult world of comics could never equal, is the sheer exuberence and wonder generated by Jack Kirby.

In its time, Kirby's Fourth World was startlingly new. It had the feel of a novel, with vast scope, playing out across four books in an interwoven tapestry of chapters. It was also a hothouse of creative energy; Kirby's sweeping imagination had free rein here.

In the beginning, and on through its middle chapters, Kirby was equal to holding this vision together coherently. Sometimes his scenes had operatic power. His critics have endlessly pointed out the childish aspects of his writing, but the point here is not a gritty realism. This story was a modern reworking of the great myths, aimed at an audience of preteens and teens, and as such, it was a source of intense wonder.

For thirty five years the Fourth World has cried out to be presented properly. In color, in the sequential order of each chapter's release,
as a hardcover. This book gives us all of that.

Some of the reviews I've read are disappointed in the paper. I could not disagree more strongly. The newsprint-feel of the paper makes it seem as
if the original comics themselves have been purged of ads and assembled between hardcovers -- exactly the look and feel that is perfect for these works.

Kirby created a world in broad strokes, bursting with vitality. Reading these works is exhilirating, and kindles a sense that imagination is the greatest power of all.