To me this is the pinnacle of Jack "King" Kirby's awesome accomplishments in comics. I will never forget the sheer thrill which filled me up when I first saw the cover of debut issue New Gods atop the spinner rack at the local drug store. I'd been familiar with Kirby at Marvel on Fantastic Four and Thor but had fallen in love with the work of John Buscema and so didn't give the "King" his proper due. The Fourth World books made me a confirmed Kirby fan for life and I've picked up almost everything he's done since that day.
The saga he told in the Fourth World books of a world of gods which had fallen allowed him to continue thematically the work he'd begun at Marvel in the pages of Thor in which he described Ragnarok, the ultimate battle at the end of the universe.
The battle to end all battles is picked up and the ferocious nature of the war strikes to the core of anyone who cares to understand the consequences. This is the end, and out of that ultimate destruction will come something new, if not necessarily improved. (Note: The presence of inker Vince Colletta, though much derided by many was critical in making sure this transition was smooth and evident.)
It's Orion, the black-souled son of Darkseid the master of Apokolips we see come out of the chaos. Riding stoutly atop his Astro-Glider, he's the very angel of destruction come to deliver the word.
He tells us that the battle is coming and when wars break out it's incumbent on all people to choose their sides. It's the crucial choice of right or wrong and in the New Gods as nowhere else in comics that division was strikingly marked. It's definitely a decision we must all make even in our modern day. Orion spoke to us then and he speaks to us still today. We all must choose.
Rip Off
That ranting nutcase Sarah Palin says there will definitely be a second American civil war if Trump is convicted so Americans might have to choose their side pretty soon. Or it might just be wishful thinking from a screeching harpy who is desperate for attention.
ReplyDeleteI see no civil war on the horizon. There might well be acts of terrorism from single crackpots in the name of that evil asshole, but no general uprising. Something like the Weather Underground during the Vietnam War, but this time from the right. Secession is not really an option for most of the states which bellow about it because they are dependent on federal money to keep up. Citizens in these United States love to moan about taxation, but are all too ready to sup at the trough for a taste of the proceeds. I worry more about the cowardly Republicans getting control by denying voters their rights and just not doing anything positive to help us all move forward.
DeleteVery few writers (almost none) have managed to capture the intense complexity of Orion after Kirby. They just default to the "savage barely under control" cliche rather than explore his inner struggle with his dark heritage & nature, which is a microcosm of the struggle between Apokolips & New Genesis. Yet they don't hesitate to dismiss Kirby's writing as "simplistic" even as they reduce Orion to a snarling cartoon.
ReplyDeleteToo true. The only writer who I think really was able to do Orion well was Walt Simonson. He understood there was more to Orion than a savage. Kirby created complex beings to populate the Fourth World, the mark of a good writer.
DeleteYes, Simonson really understood Kirby's concept & did his best to do it justice. And his best was excellent. :)
DeleteI thought the concept of the hero being the son of the main baddie who was used as part of a peace deal, was a very clever touch for a comic book. It certainly made Orion a more interesting character than most .
ReplyDeleteGlad you mentioned Simonson effort, his NGs were pretty good.
The New Gods book was truly mythic in its subject matter and more importantly its tone. One might argue another writer might have spruced up Mister Miracle and the Forever People, but no one could have done a better job at the time than Kirby did.
DeleteBoth the pencils and the inks are unparalleled.
ReplyDeleteIf you mean the top drawing of Orion by Kirby inked by Don Heck or the pages below inked by Vinnie Colletta, I agree.
DeleteIt occurs to me just now, looking at Orion's Astro-Glider, that the Black Racer, with a darker costume, would've worked better had he been riding such a contraption, instead of the skis and ski-poles.
ReplyDeleteI agree with that.
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