Customer Reviews

Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus, Vol. 2

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had debated getting this book for sometime, as with the first volume my impression was, upon handling it, if felt light for such a thick book, but after removing the shrink wrap I was pleasantly surprised.The paper felt just right, and while reminiscent of the type of paper used in comics, it was clearly of a higher quality.

Then lets talk color, they were beautiful, you feel like you are back in the 1970's buying the comics right off the rack. Some collections recolor the colors of the book in a garish manner, not here, though I don't have the originals to compare them to directly the way this book was colored was a joy to behold and felt true to the artist's intentions.

The binding was not tight, easy to read and stayed open.

Though all the stories in this volume have been reprinted before, remember all but the Jimmy Olsen were printed in horrid black and white (what other DC collections, except for their showcase line, are in black and white) with the added insult of tones being added to the art to rendering it murky.

What is really impressive is how the story reads when collected in the order it is published. Unless you bought the books off the racks in the 1970's or you actually made an effort to find their publication dates nobody has recently read them as Kirby had intended. The cut from one section of the saga is interesting, Jimmy Olsen is at the fringe, Mister Miracle a little bit closer, Forever People even deeper, and the New Gods at the center of it all. You can see more and more characters getting drawn into the story.

A lot of people will decry the silly story with Don Rickles, but when read in context it shows that everyone was being drawn into this cosmic war, plus some comic relief is much needed when you have the high melodrama of the New Gods going on.

Extras include a hefty helping of original kirby pencil art at the back of the book. I wish they would have included the house ads, oh well.

The next volume (#3) will pack the most punch as you come to some of Kirby's strongest stuff yet (The Pact) and Scott Free's escape to earth is shown in a flashback story you will not soon forget.

See you there.

This is some of Kirby's finest work. Has anyone created more epic characters than Jack? Nope. It's a great visual feast and I very much like the way it's produced. Anyone who complains about the paper should step back and give it another chance and look at the merits of this paper choice. I personally think this paper should be used for all these types of reprints of old material - Masterworks, Archives , etc. In my humble opinion this paper presents this material with beautiful color but without the over slickness of the paper used on many Marvel Masterworks editions. It preserves the feel of the old comics but with much better color saturation and registration. There's something about the really slick paper that just doesn't lend itself to these classic works. It's hard to articulate but I have been won over by this format. Great job DC - keep it up!

The first thing I did after removing the shrinkwrap was to check the format of this book against volume 1. It is exactly the same, the same paper, the same binding, so if you hate volume 1 you will hate volume 2 as well. The stories seem to be getting better and better, and the only word I could come up with to describe it is "Awesome!" I really like having some of Kirby's pencils as a bonus at the back of the book, and the comentaries by other artists at the beginning and end give context and insite into what Kirby was trying to accomplish. I think he succeeded and I can hardly wait for volume 3.

In Volume II, Kirby starts hitting his targets, particularly with Mike Royer's inks actually bringing out Kirby's wonderful artwork, rather than shortchanging it as Colletta's did.
Jimmy Olsen- This remains the problem book in the series as the inking remains Colletta and the stories lack Kirby's usual creativity. The rest of the Don Rickles story, Universal monster clones and the Loch ness monster (Who looks a great deal like Fin Fang Foom) are some of the storylines here.
The Forever People- The book still seems to be an afterthought but things improve in this volume. Darkseid continues his search for the anti-life equation and The Forever People gain the assistance of Sunny Sumo, who despite his unfortunate name, adds some excitement to the book. This character adds an interesting element to the book where the other characters seem to be types not fully formed. There's also a nice section where Serifan, Kirby's cosmic cowboy, has to deal with the loss (not really) of his companions. Kirby shows his pain with grace and feeling.
Mr.Miracle- The character continues his singular battles with some of Apokolips' minions, with the death traps gaining in complexity with Royer's inks now bringing all of Kirby's work to light. This volume also contains "Funky Flashman" Kirby's very broad interpretation of Stan Lee, who comes off very poorly in Kirby's very funny take on Lee's larger than life personality.
New Gods- This book really takes off in volume II. Kirby's story "The Glory Boat," is probably worth the price of admission. Continuing Orion's battle with the aquatic "Deep Six," the story combines some of Kirby's most dynamic art with a story about the generational differences between a ultra-conservative father and a pacifist son confronted by the cosmic forces involved in the New Genesis/Apokolips War. The story touches on some very strong themes and remains one of Kirby's best.
Volume II is where Kirby's ideas start to jell and his art starts to reach its zenith for the series. This is what the Fourth World could have been if enough time and support was forthcoming from DC and the fans.

This second volume of "Jack Kirby's Fourth World" is a better read than the first one and shows how Jack Kirby continued to expand his epic vision that would revolutionize comic books. This volume continues running issues of "Jimmy Olson", "The Forever People", "The New Gods" and "Mr. Miracle." The art is spectacular and Kirby's writing has improved from the start issues in the first volume. The introduction and conclusion are excellent and add great insight into the work and the man who masterminded it all. As has been noted by several reviewers, Mike Royer's tenure as Kirby's inker helped tremendously.

This volume contains some excellent issues including "The Glory Boat" from "New Gods" and the introduction of Big Barda in the "Mr. Miracle" issues. There is also a funny and harsh portrayal of Stan Lee as Funky Flashman in the Mr. Miracle comics. The "Jimmy Olson" comics remain very inconsistent with a story involving Don Rickles (yes, that Don Rickles), the Loch Ness monster, and a vampire doing little to add to the "Fourth World." "The Forever People" as a group contain characters that really are not well developed though they face some of the most memorable of Kirby's villains including Glorious Godfrey and Desaad. However "New Gods" and "Mr. Miracle" are both excellent comics with memorable heroes, supporting characters and villains. These two comics serve as the heart and soul of the "Fourth World."

Of the four volumes of the Fourth World Omnibus series, this one is my favorite. The New Gods and Mr. Miracle series really get rolling here, and I found myself getting more engrossed in not only the story lines but with characters that, prior to reading this, I had not known.


Again, as many have mentioned, the newsprint like pages of the volumes really are substandard when it comes to comic collections. In fact I know of no other property that has been given a supposed marque reprint and then been printed on such cheap paper. My guess is, DC wasn't confident in the product and thus hedged their bet by going short on materials.

In any case, this series is WELL WORTH the discounted Amazon price of $32.50 per volume, so for that, these are a definite buy. If you see these somewhere else at their suggested retail price of $50, I would have to unfortunately say, pass.

Like I said above, the content is fantastic and wonderfully imaginative. It's just on shoddy paper.

This year, the comic book store I regularly patronize in Washington, DC (side note: check out Big Planet Comics when you're in Georgetown because it's awesome) offered the other volumes of this series. As I greatly respect Jack Kirby's contributions to the comics industry, I'm particularly fond of his Fourth World creations. Their recent appearances on the animated series Justice League Unlimited and Batman: Brave and the Bold ignited my interest in purchasing this omnibus. While I regret that the characters are currently not appearing in DC Comics due to the mini-series Death of the New Gods and Final Crisis, I really hope they return to the DC Universe in the future.

This book is fantastic. A faithful reproduction of Jack Kirby's wonderful art and creative stories. I love it. My 11-year old son loves it.

There is no question that comics readers owe a debt of gratitude to Jack Kirby. He created or co-created so many iconic comic book characters. His art style is uniquely his own and he created effects like Kirby Dots that were used for many years.

Here he has many great ideas: The aftermath of Ragnarok(The end of the Norse gods). The metaplot in 4 different comic series. Living electronics. Nature vs. Nurture. Duality and transformation.

And yet there is something odd going on too. The dialog comes out of a comic from the 30's, the slang is from the 60's, and Goody Rickles (Don Rickles doppleganger)? And then Don Rickles actually shows up and acknowledges this weirdness?

To make this long story short, it may be too strange for some readers. But it's enjoyable on the surface anyway.

Received this in ample time as promised and the person who received this as a gift was very pleased.