The 1995-97 run of New Gods was the fourth volume to bear the name of Jack Kirby's cosmic creation. Tom Peyer (The Wrong Earth) and Rachel Pollack (Doom Patrol) were assigned duties to bring the residents of New Genesis and Apokolips into the 21st century. However, this gritty approach to the Fourth World wasn't met with very much fanfare. As a result, John Byrne (Fantastic Four) took over scripting duties with issue #12. At the 16th issue, the title was renamed Jack Kirby's Fourth World. Numbering was reset to #1.
The artwork to this New Gods run was penciled by Luke Ross. Having worked on Image's Gen13, Ross must have been a student of the Rob Liefeld school of art as these New Gods have barrel chests, tiny legs and lots of extra frown lines. When John Bryne took over the series, the characters returned to more familiar Kirby-isque looking physiques.
In this issue, the New God Lightray has gone berserk and raged war against a tribe of New Genesis aboriginal peoples. This resulting plague of mania has led Highfather, the leader of New Genesis, to create a sort of sanitarium for the followers of Lightray. Only it is revealed that Highfather actually plans to maroon himself within the confines of this new structure in order to prevent an unknown prophecy from coming to fruition.
On Apokolips, the evil Darkseid and his son Orion are locked in mortal combat. It appears that the ruler of Apokolips has finally killed the heir foretold to be his killer, thus ensuring his mortality. Yet in a bizarre change of heart, Darkseid uses his Omega powers to restore Orion to life!
This issue was definitely a product of the times. The 1990s were full of edgy storylines, overly muscled characters and something I don't ever remember seeing in any of Kirby's Fourth World books: gore and dismemberment. Darkseid at his conniving best. But the rest of the New Gods seem neutered in an age of superheroes oozing with too much testosterone.
Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.
Completing this review completes Task #37 (A Book You Didn't Know Existed) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.
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