New Gods Special #1

Art and Stories by Shane Davis, Walt Simonson, and Jack Kirby

Published by DC Comics

  DC’s latest offering in their year-long bicentennial celebration of Jack Kirby’s birth is all about the New Gods. Kalibak has plans to turn New Genesis into Apokolips 2.0. Once he unleashes the fires of the planet’s core, the son of Darkseid plans on establishing himself as ruler. Thankfully, there’s another of Darkseid’s offspring to defend New Genesis from Kalibak’s secret assault- Orion!

  Axcend’s Shane Davis pits brother against brother in this thrilling opener of the New Gods Special. There’s tons of guest stars here such as Lightray, Forager, and Highfather. But the one character oddly missing is Darkseid! But don’t worry, he’s gonna rear his ugly head in his own one-shot special later this summer.

Ugly Inside

Davis’ story was very intriguing hinting upon the nature vs. nurture dynamic that Kirby sprinkled into the New Gods. Being born on Apokolips, Orion is at heart one wicked dude. But because of his childhood spent on New Genesis as the adopted son of Highfather, Orion has learned to control his rage.

One thing Orion cannot control is how he looks. Genetics has him naturally look twisted and cruel. If not for a Mother Box, Orion would annually win the Ugliest Person Award on New Genesis. So when Orion finally gives into his Apokoliptian heritage during his climatic battle with Kalibak, his Mother Box can no longer mask his true face.

This is the only moment in the story that I really was unhappy with Shane Davis’ art. When Kirby would draw Orion’s true self, he looked hideous. Davis changes Orion’s face. But he doesn’t do enough to really make you think that the Orion is evil at heart. Forager is frightened by this version of Orion. I didn’t feel as shocked.

Back-Up Features

The New Gods Special includes a several shorts. The first is a tale of Orion as a youth. With art and story by Walt Simonson, this exciting story teams Orion with ocean-farer Seagrin on one of his first missions: an underwater quest in the briny depths of Apokolips. Simonson is one of those few artists whose work has actually gotten better over the years. I didn’t want this fun shark tale to end.

It wouldn’t be a Jack Kirby tribute without something from the King himself. Rounding out this special are two short stories reprinted from the Forever People #5 and 7. Both tales focus on a little-known character called Lonar. As explained in former Kirby assistant Mark Evanier’s afterword, Lonar was supposed to be spun-off onto his own series. But the cancellation of all of Kirby’s Fourth World titles ended that plan.

I am really excited that DC decided to reprint some of Kirby’s harder to find Fourth World stuff. When I saw that the publisher was putting stuff from the Forever People in this special, I actually hesitated on buying this. I already have Kirby’s Forever People omnibus. But that volume doesn’t include any of the King’s grabbers- Kirby’s term for second feature fillers.
The New Gods Special was an exciting trip back to Kirby’s Fourth World. Filled with works inspired by the King, they in no way copy him. It’s really hard to imitate greatness. Especially when the benchmark established is Jack Kirby. But for a tribute creative to honor one of comic’s all-time greats, this is a fantastic homage of one of the King’s most enduring DC Universe creations.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Tales of the New Gods

An eclectic collection of stories featuring Jack Kirby's Fourth World. Some of the tales were originally explored by the King himself whereas others expound or even completely develop some the origins of the various background characters that inhabit New Genesis and Apokolips. Featuring the awesome writing and artistic talents of John Byrne, Mark Evanier, Frank Miller, Steve Rude, Art Adams, and dozens more, this is a volume you don't want to miss.

    The episodes in the volume were originally printed in Mister Miracle Special, Jack Kirby's Fourth World, and Orion. That in no way means that you shouldn't collect Fourth World or Orion because with the exception of the Mister Miracle Special, the other chapters reprinted here were backup features to those titles. If you was to omit them from your collection would mean that you would be missing out on two dynamic titles from the 90s as each story is only about 4-8 pages long (and the titles Tales of the New Gods were contained are about 4 times more in length.) So if you were to find Orion or Fourth World in a dollar box or cheaper, you would still be making a wise investment in completing your Fourth World collection.

    I knew about this when I bought this book at a used bookstore a while back. I was so desperate to read more adventures about the New Gods, that I gladly shelled out some hard earned cash knowing very well, I will probably sell this book once I collect the previously mention titles that contain these legends.

    If you are new to Kirby's Fourth World, I strongly encourage this book as a primer. Some of Kirby's work isn't easy to dig into, particularly New Gods. This work is the perfect way to learn of the backstory of such important characters like Darkseid, Highfather, and the Infinity Man; all of which Kirby plotted out their origins but never got around to diving into in his Fourth World titles in the 70s as the entire line was cancelled in less than 2 years due to poor sales.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Batman/Superman, Volume 1: Cross World (New 52!)

The first volume of the New 52's 'first' teaming of the World's Finest is a trippy adventure that spans both the DC timeline and the multiverse.

  When the living embodiment of chaos decides to have a little fun by bringing the younger and less experienced Earth-1 Man of Steel and Caped Crusader to Earth-2 where a more matured Man of Tomorrow and Dark Knight have turned their world into a virtual paradise, all hell breaks loose. Separated by age and ego, the two groups of heroes eventually make nice once they discover that they are from different universes. But when the two teams also discover that combined militaries of Earth-2 have created a Superman killing device using Wayne Techology the heroes must decide- Save Superman or Save the world from the oncoming storm known as Darkseid.

    This story took a little while to build up steam. That's mostly because the New God sprite Kaiyo has all four heroes switching places from world to world before having all four wind up in the Smallville of Earth-2. But once the players were finally set on the board, the story ramped up to a Nth degree of action, adventure, and pure wicked fun.

   The art is by the terrific Jae Lee. Lee has such a whimsical but haunted style. It works well for these four heroes who're haunted by their own pasts. With terrific finishes by Ben Oliver that give these pages an almost painted quality, both he and Lee take the reader to the farthest reaches of the DC Universe all under the masterful pen of Greg Pak.

   This collection also includes an 'Unleased' Forever Evil tie-in from Justice League #23.1. It features an origin story of Darkseid and the New Gods. I've read some of Kirby's original New Gods stuff that explained the early days of Apokolips and New Genesis but I've never read a definitive story as to how the old gods died to make way for the newer deities of Darkseid, Highfather, and the rest. Until now! Say what you might about the New 52 but this single issue story was fan-tastic and perhaps the single best New 52 story I've ever read.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

 

Legends of the DC Universe #24

I'm gonna let you in on a little secret- when I was younger and I'd buy a comic book grab bag, I would often get back issues of Kirby's Fourth World series. New Gods, Mister Miracle, The Forever People as well as Kamandi and the Demon. I didn't know what it was and I thought they were like baseball cards; you know commons. Man was I wrong. I would often give or throw them away.

 Now in my late 30s, I've grown to realize my mistake and to value their historical and culture significance. Also, I've been actively trying to recreate my creation through trades and back issue bonanzas I've even been enjoying some of the newer stuff like John Byrne's run in the mid-90s. So, when a Darkseid two-parter popped up in my rotation to read in Legends, I was excited to revisit that oft-overlooked realm of the DC Universe.

  In this issue, a member of Darkseid's 'Dog' army is dispatched to take out a tagger whose actions are causing dissention amongst the populace of Apokolips. When the battle moves to a temple devoted to Darkseid, an explosion occurs. The trooper is listed as a casualty and the rebel is thought dead as well.

  In order to get to the bottom of this rebellion the despot of Apokolips with the assistance of his minion Desaad has reanimated the soldier. Using the 'zombie's' testimony, Darkseid hopes to be able to quash the revolution because his previous method of mass disintegration of the surrounding populace has surprisingly not been working. Imagine that!
 
   When I first read this, I wasn't completely sold on it. But as I'm reviewing this issue, it's actually gaining more of my favor. It's still not the best Fourth World tale I've ever read, but it cliffhangs to a degree that I feel positive of it's potential.

    Worth Consuming.

    Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

The Next #6 (of 6)

The final chapter has the Next, Sion, Superman, and Metron teaming up to take down the Oblivion Shadow once and for all. But as allies disappear from the time stream, it will be up to Monikka Wong to step up and become everybody’s savior.

The final chapter was just alright. There were thrills but no frills. Most DC books that involve time travel get a little metaphysical and this finale is no exception. The reason for the Shadow’s existence was a little too much like the ending to Wizard of Oz. However, the art once again stepped up and was amazing. So, it wasn’t a terrible waste of time.

To my knowledge, this is the only appearance of the Next. It’s the only comic to star them and I am pretty sure that’s it. There’s a very good reason why you never see the Next ever again- their one and only mini-series was terribly inconsistent. I found some of the jokes corny, the plot thin, and much of the science jargon was college-level. I wasn’t a fan and if it wasn’t for being a time travel book and a Superman featured title, I would’ve given up after issue #2.

Take my advice, skip this. If you want to enjoy the Man of Steel travelling through time, check out Time and Time Again. It’s a much more coherent and exciting story.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Overall Rating: 6.5 out of 10 stars

The Next #5 (of 6)

As the Next keep one step ahead of Sion, the Oblivion Shadow continues to grow, further threatening all of time and space. If there is any chance of beating this anomaly in the space-time continuum, the Next and Superman all going to need all the help they can get. Look for the New God Metron to make a very Yoda-like appearance and for an unlikely partnership to form in this penultimate issue.

Thankfully, DC has pushed out 2 very good issues of the Next in a row. It’s got me a little nervous that the final issue is going to blow as this series can’t seem to decide on whether it wants to be an instant classic or a colossal fail.

Worth Consuming

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars

The Next #1 (of 6)

What is the Next? Well, it’s not a team of outcasts from STAR Labs or the Cadmus Project, as I originally thought. In fact, despite the fact that Superman is on the cover, the Next aren’t officially members of the Superman Family.  The Next are a group of four extra-dimensional teenagers from the future or a tangent timeline. When their guide ‘dog’ becomes lost in the modern era time stream of Earth, the youths become trapped, causing not only a rift in time and space but for a human girl to be killed.   Taking human form, the Next have bonded their life force to the girl, named Monikka. If they leave, not only will Monikka die again but all of time and space will begin to unravel.

So where does the Man of Steel fit into all of this? Well, the New God, Metron is a member of the Superman Family, even if it’s unofficial and a stretch. But knowing of Superman’s superior strength and passion to save others when all hope is lost, Metron informs the Kryptonian of the crisis forming in the space-time continuum.  It’s a task Superman heartily accepts but has he bitten off a little more than he can chew?

Issue 1 is the very first appearance the Next. So, there’s a ton of introduction and back story to be made. Most of the plot is devoted to explaining all of that and it’s a bit annoying. Monikka’s backstory is interesting but everything seems rushed.  Why even Superman’s role is extremely limited and doesn’t appear until the last couple of pages.

I feel like this is false advertising. The cover boasts Superman and the Next in a pose that looks like their best buds. Yet, the two entities don’t even meet! I’m not sure what’s up with that but I’m hoping it’s a plot point that will be rectified in the next issue.

So far, I’m not impressed.

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

 

Cosmic Odyssey, Book 4: Death

Darkseid’s contingency plan has gone to pot, as the Anti-Life Equation Entity is just too gosh darn powerful. It’s all up to Batman and Forager, who battle a duo of zombie’s for the fate of the Universe.

Speaking of the Bat, in chapter one, he made a call to someone to keep an eye on Darkseid, because he’s about as trusty as a condom lined with holes. That mystery of who was called was left under wraps until now. Ironically, it’s Batman’s phone call that also results in the universe being spared, because our mystery player has to pull Darkseid’s butt out of the fire.

I loved this entire series. It ended with lots of great emotion. A hero must come to grips with being responsible for an entire planet’s demise- population and all. Another hero will meet his final fate, While a third must come to terms with his prejudices.

A fantastic job by writer, Jim Starlin, and artist, Mike Mignola.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Cosmic Odyssey, Book Three: Decisions

With one planet already toast and the fates of four others hanging in the balance, Darkseid decides to enact his contingency plan. His secret weapon- Etrigan, the Demon. I love that two classic Jack Kirby DC characters have teamed up for what's probably the first and only time ever. A great chapter in a fantastic story.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Cosmic Odyssey, Book 2: Disaster

Darkseid sends out 4 teams to fight the Anti-Life equation entity from destroying the universe. The stipulation is that if any 2 teams lose, everything goes bye-bye. Teams are sent to Earth, Rann, Thanagar, and some planet that I’ve never heard of. Can you guess which planet is gonna bite the dust?

With predictable stakes, I still enjoyed the book. The art is amazing and there are several mysteries within that make up for the forementioned plot point.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Cosmic Odyssey, Book 1: Discovery

After centuries of scheming and searching, the Anti-life Equation has finally been found. Fortunately, it wasn’t Darkseid who discovered it. Unfortunately, it caused Metron to have his brain fried. Even worse, an anti-matter entity that powers the equation has become aware of our universe and is targeting it for destruction.

Yes, this seems an awful lot like Crisis on Infinite Earths. Only, there’s no multiverse and the whole crisis is framed as if it was the result of interference from the New Gods.

The thing that makes this title very different is that an alliance is formed between mortal enemies Darkseid and Highfather. To combat this threat, they recruit a team of superheroes that include Superman and John Stewart.

Wait a minute… That happened in Crisis, too. Well, I realized this after reading this book and it didn’t bother me. I love New Gods stuff and this book doesn’t disappoint. Adding to the formula is early work by one of my all-time fav artists, Mike Mignola. That’s worth the cover price alone and makes this volume very much.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.